Veteran actor Sidney Poitier became the latest cinematic luminary to to be honoured by France's cultural elite. Following in the footsteps of Penelope Cruz and Sharon Stone the star of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner was named a commander of the country's Order Of Arts And Letters.
As he presented him with the medal Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres praised the 79-year-old actor for breaking down barriers in the US film industry, saying: "You are the champion of equality between men."
In 1963 he became the first male African American to win an Academy Award for Lilies Of The Field. After his Oscar triumph the screen legend went on to appear in ground-breaking movies such as To Sir, With Love and In The Heat Of The Night.
At the ceremony the Hollywood heavyweight thanked his parents - who were poverty-stricken farm workers from the Bahamas - for giving him a sense of honesty, integrity and compassion. He also credited the filmmakers who gave him acting opportunities, hailing them for changing a pattern "that was not democratic, not American, and not human".
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
