Monday, January 17, 2022

Monday Moments - Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier passed away at age 94. He was a legend in his field and from everything I've read, just a class act all around. Gracious, talented, good looking, and a ground breaker. I've enjoyed his movies through the years and have watched many interviews with him. 

He was the first black man to receive an Oscar for Best Actor in 1963 for his role in Lilies of the Field. 
His career kicked off in 1958 in The Defiant Ones alongside Tony Curtis, with an Oscar nomination.  
Mr. Poitier continued with stunning roles - In the Heat of the Night.  (1967)  "They call me Mr. Tibbs." Classic!!!

A fave of mine was To Sir With Love. (I wanted him to be my teacher)
 Also Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. 

He not only acted, he directed too. In 1995 he received a Kennedy Center Honor. In 2009 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama. Civil right activist, humanitarian, there really are no words for this man's gifts to the world. 

All in all, I just wanted to pay tribute to a very worthy actor and man - Mr. Sidney Poitier.  R.I.P. 
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8 comments:

  1. Annalisa CrawfordJanuary 17, 2022 at 7:35 AM

    I grew up watching To Sir With Love - it was one of my mum's favourites too (those little knowing, understated nods which said so much... yes, he was an early crush of mine!) But I don't think I've ever seen him in anything else, which I'll endeavour to rectify.

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    1. JoanneJanuary 18, 2022 at 10:01 AM

      Many good performances. You could count on him to command any situation.

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  2. Susan KaneJanuary 17, 2022 at 2:45 PM

    When Portier came from the Bahamas, he could not read English well. An elderly Jewish man who worked in the same restaurant helped him learn. And his life changed.

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    1. JoanneJanuary 18, 2022 at 10:02 AM

      I did read that. Right breaks and hard work and perseverance. Plus talent and good looks do help - but extra tough back in those days for a black man

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  3. Hilary Melton-ButcherJanuary 18, 2022 at 5:05 AM

    Hi Joanne - I certainly need to see his films again ... it was very fortunate he was born in the US ... and he's the same age as Harry Belafonte. I quite understand why you wanted to post this ... such an excellent role model. Cheers Hilary

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    1. JoanneJanuary 18, 2022 at 10:03 AM

      He was born in the Bahamas and came to the US. Had to work hard to learn to speak American English, as Susan said above. No matter what, I noticed Netflix are featuring his films

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  4. Nilanjana BoseJanuary 18, 2022 at 7:16 AM

    I grew up with To Sir with Love, it makes me ineffably sad to see the childhood icons go one by one. C'est la vie but when the time comes it's still a blow.
    Hope your week is going well.

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    1. JoanneJanuary 18, 2022 at 10:04 AM

      Indeed, the golden oldies are passing on. But they do live on in film - that's good for us. All fine here. Hope your 2022 is starting out as a plus

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