Halle Berryis honoring a fellow cinematic trailblazer.
Legendary actor Sidney Poitierdiedon Thursday night at the age of 94, PEOPLE confirmed on Friday morning. Among his many achievements was becoming the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, when he was recognized forLilies of the Fieldon April 13, 1964.
On Friday, Berry, 55, paid tribute to Poitieron Instagram, celebrating him for “paving the way” in Hollywood.
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“My dear Sidney, an enormous part of my soul weeps at your passing. In your ninety-four years on this planet, you left an indelible mark with your extraordinary talent, paving the way for Black people to be seen and heard in the fullness of who we are,” said Berry. “You were an iconic trailblazer; yours was a life well lived.”
“I grew up idolizing you and will always remember the day when I first met you. It is the only time in my life when I’ve been rendered speechless!” she continued. “There I sat, with my words glued together, and you were as gracious and charming then as you would be during our decades of friendship to follow.”
Added Berry, “Rest in peace, beloved Sidney. You are and always will be the true measure of a man.”
Halle Berry and Sidney Poitier in 2006.A Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock
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“I arrived in Hollywood at the age of 22 in a time different than today’s, a time in which the odds against my standing here tonight 53 years later would not have fallen in my favor,” he said at the time. “Back then, no route had been established for where I was hoping to go, no pathway left in evidence for me to trace, no custom for me to follow.”
Sidney Poitier.Ken Hively/Los Angeles Times via Getty
The actor commended the people he’d worked with for their “strong sense of citizenship responsibility to the times in which they lived,” noting that they were “each unafraid to permit their art to reflect their views and values, ethical and moral, and moreover, acknowledge them as their own.”
“They knew the odds that stood against them and their efforts were overwhelming and likely could have proven too high to overcome,” he said. “Still those filmmakers persevered, speaking through their art to the best in all of us. And I’ve benefited from their effort. The industry benefited from their effort. America benefited from their effort. And in ways large and small the world has also benefited from their effort.”
Poitier went on to add, “I accept this award in memory of all the African-American actors and actresses who went before me in the difficult years, on whose shoulders I was privileged to stand to see where I might go.”
source: people.com
