News broke earlier this morning that cinema legend Sidney Poitier has passed away. Poitier is one of the most important figures in film history. The Bahamian American actor was the first black man to win an Academy Award and he starred in a series of hit films whose resonance is still being assessed today. Professor of history at the University of Memphis Aram Goudsouzian is the author of the biography Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon.
Photo: AFP