![To sir, with love: Entertainers and activists pay tribute to Sidney Poitier](https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220107100232-03-sidney-poitier-lead-image-super-tease.jpg)
To sir, with love: Entertainers and activists pay tribute to Sidney Poitier
CNN
"Beautiful," "brilliant," "grace" and "elegance" are just a few of the words used by those who paid tribute to the late Sidney Poitier, one of the greatest actors of the past century.
Poitier, who died Thursday at the age of 94, blazed trails as a Black actor who rose to fame during a time when there were few starring roles offered to African Americans. He set a standard for those who came after him.
"No words can describe how your work radically shifted my life," Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis posted on her verified Instagram account. "The dignity, normalcy, strength, excellence and sheer electricity you brought to your roles showed us that we, as Black folks, mattered!!!"
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