It is with heavy hearts we announce the death of celebrated actor and humanitarian Sidney Poitier, who passed away on the 6th of January 2022 at 94 years old. A trailblazing figure in both the acting world and civil rights movement, Sidney Poitier was most renowned for becoming the first African American actor to force a paradigm shift in the US's narrow societal perceptions in the mid-twentieth century. Born in Miami, Florida to Bahamian parents, he gained attention early on for his leading role in the 1958 drama film ‘The Defiant Ones’ for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the first black performer to do so. He was also known for his roles in diverse American films including ‘Lilies of the Field’, ‘Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner’ and ‘In the Heat of the Night’, earning him further Oscars and a Lifetime Achievement Award.He used his influence to promote diversity in Hollywood and help promote civil rights, for which he received several presidential awards such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Sidney Poitier had a profound global impact with his acting and activism, and his legacy will be remembered for many years.