Sydney Poitiers: Hollywood pioneer has died aged 94

Sidney Poitier, the first black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor, died at 94.

The Hollywood star's death has been confirmed to the by the Foreign Secretary of the Bahamas, Fred Mitchell. Poitiers is an innovative and humanist actor and respected diplomat. 

Former US President Barack Obama said Poitiers embodied "dignity and elegance" and possessed "a unique talent." He added that the actor "revealed the power of film to bring us closer" and "opened the door for generations of actors."

American television cameraman and journalist Oprah Winfrey also paid tribute, saying, "The greatest Big Tree fell on me, adding that the actor" had a great soul that I will cherish forever.

And Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington said, "It is a privilege to call Sydney Poitier a friend of mine. Poitiers was born in Miami, raised on a tomato farm in the Bahamas, and moved to New York at the age of 16.

On his way to becoming a stage and film star in the 1950s and 1960s, he briefly enlisted in the army and did odd jobs while taking acting classes. Poitier breaks down racial barriers in Hollywood. His performance in The Defiant Ones in 1958 earned him his first Oscar nomination – in itself a historic achievement for a black man in the top category at the time.

Five years later, she got better, and she won the fame of Lilien des Feld, where she played a master who helped German nuns build a chapel in the desert.

Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said live on Facebook Friday: "All of our Bahamas are grieving. But while we grieve, we celebrate the great Bahamas life." She added, "The strength of her character, her desire to stand up and be counted, and the way she plans and organizes her life.

The actor made regular screen appearances during the separation in the United States, appearing in A Patch of Blue in 1965 and Heat of the Night the following year, followed by Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. He featured a black man played by Bride with white skin.

In Heat of the Night, he portrays Virgil Tibbs, a black cop confronted with racism during a murder investigation. Other classics include "Blackboard Jungle" and "Raisins in the Sun," which also screened on Broadway.

He then directed several films, and Broadway plays about life and career were announced last month.