Sir Sidney Poitier dies aged 94

The Hollywood star was 94 (Picture: Toni Anne Barson/WireImage)

Sir Sidney Poitier has died at the age of 94.

His death is being reported in Bahamas news outlets as confirmed by Bahamaian Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell.

The beloved actor, who was known for starring in films including Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and To Sir, With Love, died on Thursday night.

Poitier was the first Black man to win an Oscar for best actor, which he recieved for Lillies of the Field in 1964.

One of the last surviving stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Poitier also clocked up another Oscar nomination for The Defiant Ones in 1958, as well as being presented with an honorary award in 2001.

He was also the recipient of a BAFTA fellowship in 2016, as well as a competitive win from six nominations across his career.

Born in Miami, Florida in 1927 while his Bahamian farmer parents were visiting, Poitier was the youngest of seven children.

After working as a dishwasher and some limited success with stage work, his breakout role as an actor came in the 1950 film No Way Out.

He then achieved fame with 1955’s Blackboard Jungle, where he played the teacher of a difficult high school class.

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