“I was the only Black person on the set. It was unusual for me to be in a circumstance in which every move I made was tantamount to representation of 18 million people.”

Bahamian-American actor, director, activist and diplomat

Sidney Poitier was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. He was born in 1927 and died in 2022. He became widely known as a major screen figure of the Hollywood era, and for breaking barriers in American film. In 1964, Poitier became the first Black male actor and the first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He also received two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, with nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him 22nd among its 100 Stars, and he was among the last surviving stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age.