Sidney Poitier has died at the age of 94

Source: Sky News

Legendary Hollywood actor and first black man to win an acting Oscar, Sir Sidney Poitier, has died at the age of 94, a Bahamian government official has said.

In 1964, he made history by clinching the Academy of Motion Pictures statuette for his work in Lilies of the Field, and went on to appear in dozens of films and television shows.

The actor had three box office hits with 'In the Heat of the Night', 'To Sir, with Love' and 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'.

In the film 'In the Heat of the Night' he delivered the iconic line: "They call me Mister Tibbs".

He also directed a number of projects, including Stir Crazy, Hanky Panky and Ghost Dad.

Sir Sidney was widely seen as the first major black Hollywood star, with many of his film appearances highlighting issues faced by black people at the time.

As well as being a decorated actor, he was also an international diplomat, serving as the Bahamian ambassador to Japan between 1997 and 2007, and to UNESCO between 2002 and 2007.

He was knighted in 1974 and then in 2009 he was given the highest civilian honor in the US, the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, by President Barack Obama.

Sir Sidney also served on the board for the Walt Disney Company in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Star Trek actor George Takei was among the first to pay tribute to Sir Sidney, tweeting: "The star of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner and Lilies of the Field, for which he won Best Actor, was a trailblazer who will be mourned by so many for whom he opened the very doors of Hollywood."

Bob Iger, who ran the Walt Disney Company up until last year, said: "Sidney Poitier was the most dignified man I've ever met. Towering…gentle…passionate…bold…kind…altogether special."

Whoopi Goldberg added her voice to the tributes, writing that "he showed us how to reach for the stars".

James Bond and Marvel star Jeffrey Wright wrote: "Sidney Poitier. What a landmark actor. One of a kind. What a beautiful, gracious, warm, genuinely regal man. RIP, Sir. With love."

In a heartfelt post on Facebook, movie mogul Tyler Perry said hearing the news meant his "heart broke in another place."

He added: "The grace and class that this man has shown throughout his entire life, the example he set for me, not only as a black man but as a human being will never be forgotten.  There is no man in this business who has been more of a North Star for me than Sidney Poitier."

Born in Miami to Bahamian tomato farmers in 1927, he spent his early years living in the Bahamas, giving him dual US-Bahamian citizenship.  He got his start on stage in the late 1940s, and just a few years later he was a regular on the big screen.

Sir Sidney's cause of death has not yet been announced.