Sidney Poitier through the years See photos of the acclaimed actor through the years to celebrate his life and illustrious career. By Madeline Boardman Madeline Boardman Madeline Boardman is a former digital features director at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2017. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on January 7, 2022 11:37AM EST Sidney Poitier in 1988. Credit: Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images 01 of 42 Sidney Poitier Through the Years Sidney Poitier in No Way Out. Everett Collection Legendary actor Sidney Poitier died on Jan. 7, 2021 at 94. Born in Miami on February 20, 1927, Poitier helped usher in a new era for African-American actors with his work. Pictured here in 1950, the celebrated actor the actor, filmmaker, author, and diplomat had a storied career in Hollywood and Washington, earning an Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom over the course of his life. See photos of him through the years, ahead. 02 of 42 Sidney Poitier in Cry the Beloved Country in 1952 John D. Kisch/Separate Cinema Archive/Getty Images 03 of 42 Sidney Poitier in Blackboard Jungle in 1955 Everett Collection 04 of 42 Sidney Poitier in Edge of the City in 1957 Sidney Poitier in Edge of the City. John D. Kisch/Separate Cinema Archive/Getty Images 05 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones in 1958 Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones. Everett Collection 06 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Dorothy Jean Dandridge in Porgy and Bess in 1959 Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Jean Dandridge in Porgy and Bess. Mondadori Portfolio by Getty Images 07 of 42 Sidney Poitier in 1960 Heinz Köster/ullstein bild via Getty Images 08 of 42 Sidney Poitier in 1960 Harry Croner/ullstein bild via Getty Images 09 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Martin Luther King, Jr., Harry Belafonte, and Asa Philip Randolph in 1960 Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images 10 of 42 Sydney Poitier on May 13, 1961 Daniel FallotINA via Getty Images 11 of 42 Sidney Poitier in Lilies Of The Field in 1963 Sidney Poitier In 'Lilies Of The Field'. United Artists/Getty Images 12 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Harry Belafonte and Charleton Heston at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963 PhotoQuest/Getty Images 13 of 42 Sidney Poitier at the 36th Academy Awards in 1964 John D. Kisch/Separate Cinema Archive/Getty Images 14 of 42 Sidney Poitier in 1965 Sidney Poitier. Photo12/UIG via Getty Images 15 of 42 Sidney Poitier at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1965 Hulton Archive/Getty Images 16 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Rod Steiger in In the Heat of the Night in 1967 Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images 17 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner in 1967 John D. Kisch/Separate Cinema Archive/Getty Images 18 of 42 Sidney Poitier at the Poor People's Campaign at Resurrection City in Washington, D.C. in May 1968 Chester Sheard/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 19 of 42 Sidney Poitier on June 8, 1968 Ron Galella/WireImage 20 of 42 Sidney Poitier in Buck and the Preacher in 1971 ullstein bild via Getty Images 21 of 42 Sidney Poitier at the American Film Institute 10th Anniversary at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on November 17, 1977 Ron Galella/WireImage 22 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Joanna Shimkus at an Equal Rights Amendment Event at Marlo Thomas' Home in Beverly Hills in 1979 Joan Adlen/Gettiy Images 23 of 42 Sidney Poitier on September 15, 1980 Evening Standard/Getty Images 24 of 42 Sidney Poitier in Los Angeles on March 3, 1988 Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images 25 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Gregory Peck at the American Museum of the Moving Image Tribute to Sidney Poitier on February 28, 1989 Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage 26 of 42 Sidney Poitier at the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Open in Palm Springs on March 5, 1993 Stephen Dunn/Allsport/Getty Images 27 of 42 Sidney Poitier at New York University's Graduation Ceremonies in New York on May 18, 1995 Clark Jones)/AP 28 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Joanna Shimkus at the 1996 National Board of Review Awards Dinner at Tavern on the Green in New York City on February 26, 1996 Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage 29 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Nelson Mandela in Cape Town on May 17, 1996 Sasa Kralj/AP 30 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Muhammad Ali on February 9, 1997 Misha Erwitt/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images 31 of 42 Sidney Poitier in Beverly Hills on October 26, 1998 Rene Macura/AP 32 of 42 Sidney Poitier in The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn in 1999 CBS via Getty Images 33 of 42 Sidney Poitier With His Family at the Sixth Annual Screen Actors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles on March 12, 2000 Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage 34 of 42 Sidney Poitier at the 74th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 24, 2002 Doug Mills/AP 35 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Denzel Washington at a NBA Playoff Game on April 25, 2002 Kevin Reece/WireImage 36 of 42 Sidney Poitier in Beverly Hills on June 2, 2008 Matt Sayles/AP 37 of 42 Sidney Poitier Receiving the Medal of Freedom From President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House on August 12, 2009 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 38 of 42 Sidney Poitier at the 44th NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles on February 1, 2013 Michael Tran/FilmMagic 39 of 42 Sidney Poitier Presenting In the Heat of the Night at AFI's Night at the Movies in Hollywood on April 24, 2013 Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images 40 of 42 Sidney Poitier With Angelina Jolie Backstage at the Oscars on March 2, 2014 Christopher Polk/Getty Images 41 of 42 Sidney Poitier With His Daughter Sydney at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 2, 2014 Evan Agostini/Invision/AP 42 of 42 Sidney Poitier at the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children's Foundation's 6th Annual Christmas Gala and Fundraiser in Beverly Hills on December 19, 2015 Jason Kempin/Getty Images Close Read more: Movies