CULTURE

The Man, The Actor, His Legacy + His Words

  • Cultural Trailblazer.
  • Hollywood Icon.
  • Husband.
  • Girl Dad.

At 94 years old the legendary actor Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win the Oscar for best actor in 1964, has passed away. He will forever be remembered for his roles in films like “A Raisin in the Sun,” “To Sir, with Love,” “In the Heat of the Night” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” among others.

Rest easy King ? #sidneypoitier . Thank you for kicking down the doors. Thank you will never be enough for your blood sweat tears and determination. REST IN HEAVENLY PEACE!!! We will tell the generations to come about your legacy!!! ???????

Taraji P. Henson

While stars like Taraji P. Henson, Viola Davis Whoopi Goldberg, and Kerry Washington are taking to social media to pay tribute to the Hollywood Icon.

This is a big one. No words can describe how your work radically shifted my life. The dignity, normalcy, strength, excellence and sheer electricity you brought to your roles showed us that we, as Black folks, mattered!!! It was an honor for my husband and I to share lunch with you at Spagos. You told us,“If your dreams do not scare you, they’re not big enough”! I put this quote on my daughter’s wall. Rest well Mr. Poitier. Thank you! Thank you for leaving a legacy. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Viola Davis

The life of every black person in America has been touched by the magic of Sidney Poitier. His impact is timeless. So. are his words – here are 5 of his most popular quotes:

Forgiveness works two ways, in most instances. People have to forgive themselves too. The powerful have to forgive themselves for their behavior. That should be a sacred process.” 

Sidney Poitier

“You don’t have to become something you’re not to be better than you were.” 

Sidney Poitier

“The willingness to receive help and appreciate its value when it arrives, sometimes unannounced, is a subject that returns us to the question of why and how our lives turn out as they do.” 

Sidney Poitier

“You don’t have to become something you’re not to be better than you were.” 

Sidney Poitier

“We all have a capacity for love, for kindness, for passion. We also have a capacity for the opposite, but love is infinitely more effective in the world than hate, although they exist as equal opposites.” 

 Sidney Poitier

Poitier is survived by six daughters and his current wife, Joanna Shimkus.