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Sir Sidney Poitier’s 50 year-plus career span has seen this Academy Award winning actor, director, producer and best selling author receive many honors and awards; the most meaningful being the knighthood awarded to him by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II in 1968. He is the recipient of four honorary doctorate degrees, the last from New York University. This past spring, he was honored at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, where he was pronounced Commander of Arts and Letters, which is France’s most prestigious commendation.
In 2002, Sir Poitier was presented with a second Oscar for “his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence.” He has received the BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award; the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award; the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award; 5 NAACP Image Awards and 2 Golden Bear Awards from the Berlin Film Festival. Currently, His Excellency serves as ambassador to Japan from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Sir Poitier is president and CEO of Verdon Cedric Productions. He is married to Joanna Shimkus Poitier, is father to six daughters, a grandfather of four and most recently, a great-grandfather of one.
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