The acting world is in mourning today after news broke that trailblazing actor Sidney Poitier had died aged 94.
The award-winning actor had a star-studded career, but will forever be remembered for breaking down many of Hollywood's racial barriers.
The Bahamian-American was the first black winner of the Academy Awards' Best Actor title.
However Sidney often felt the colour of his skin denied him the opportunity of taking on more varied roles.
The father of six famously turned down the role of Othello because he didn't want to be typecast as a black actor.
Sidney's performance in the 1950 film No Way Out, in which he played a young doctor dealing with a racist patient set him on the path to stardom.
But his big break came in The Blackboard Jungle in 1955, when he played a wayward pupil in an inner-city school.
The star then won a Bafta for his film The Defiant Ones in 1958 before bagging a coveted Oscar for Lilies of the Field.
As Sidney's star rose, so did the civil rights movement in the US and the actor inevitably found himself heralded as example of black achievement.
Describing his commitment to equality he said: "I was a pretty good actor and I believed in brotherhood. I hated racism and segregation. And I was a symbol against those things."
In 1967 Sidney was said to be Hollywood's most bankable star.
In the same year he played an immigrant teacher in a tough East End London school in To Sir, With Love.
Speaking of how he approached his roles, Sidney said : "Acting isn't a game of 'pretend'. It's an exercise in being real."
The actor went onto play the boyfriend of white middle-class girl, who takes him to meet her parents in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
When filming began, interracial marriage was still illegal in 17 US states.
The laws were changed by the Supreme Court months shortly before the film was released.
Sidney eventually moved away from acting, carving out a career as a director and also as a campaigner for Bahamian Independence, which was achieved in 1973.
He also formed his own production company, which counted Hollywood royalty Barbara Streisand and Paul Newman as members.
In 1992 the star became the first black actor to receive a life achievement award from the American Film Institute.
He was later appointed the Bahamas' ambassador to Japan and he received a knighthood in 1974.
Sidney's death was confirmed today by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell, according to Eyewitness News Bahamas.
Speaking about the devastating news, Mitchell said: "We've lost a great a Bahamian and I've lost a personal friend."
Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said: “We have lost an icon; a hero, a mentor, a fighter, a national treasure.
"Sadness that he would no longer be here to tell him how much he means to us, but celebration that he did so much to show the world that those from the humblest beginnings can change the world and that we gave him his flowers while he was with us," reports the Guardian Nassau.
Taking to Twitter, Sidney's fans paid tribute to the legendary actor.
One person wrote: "One of the greatest of all time. may he rest in peace."
A second added: "May he rest in peace knowing he served and was loved."
While a third summed things up perfectly, saying: "Absolute legend ... RIP, sir."
