Sidney Poitier, the legendary actor and the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for best actor passed away at 94.
Poitier was the first actor to star in mainstream Hollywood movies that portrayed a Black man in a non-stereotypical fashion. He was also credited as the first Black actor to become the top the box office collections through stellar performances in three memorable films in 1967- To Sir, With Love, where he played the role of a teacher in London; In the Heat of the Night, where he portrayed the role of Philadelphia Detective Virgil Tibbs; and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
Apart from the brilliant screen roles, Poitier was active in civil-rights activism. He worked with American Singer Harry Belafonte and played a major role in organizing the March on Washington and later plan the memorial of Martin Luther King Jr. after his assassination.
