Sidney Poitier: The actor Morgan Freeman called his “guiding light”
Morgan Freeman‘s career has endured over decades because of a commanding presence. Whether simply operating as an encompassing narrator, using his famous voice to good use, or on the screen as a mercurial performer, Freeman’s career is one of Hollywood’s most impressive.
Thriving in the industry for several decades, Freeman has been afforded the opportunity to collaborate with some of the industry’s most impressive directors, including the likes of David Fincher, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Lawrence Kasdan, Christopher Nolan, Rob Reiner and Luc Besson. He has also worked with some of the best actors in the world too.
Whether starring alongside Brad Pitt in Seven, the incredible ensemble of Red, which included Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich or perhaps his defining role opposite Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption, Freeman has performed with some of the best in the business. Often providing the calm and methodical antidote to the wildcard he’s starring opposite, Freeman’s inspirations are deeply entrenched in the classic era of acting.
When speaking to Rotten Tomatoes, Freeman shared his particular affection for some of Hollywood’s finest. Picking his five favourite movies, Freeman said: “What’s my fifth favourite movie? Now, there have been quite a number of them. Oh, I know! Moby Dick.” The 1956 adaptation of the book of the same name by Herman Melville tells the story of a sailor on an incessant rampage to hunt down a white whale, with Freeman recalling: “Now that was filmmaking. John Huston. Call me… Ishmael. I read the book, and there are very few books that I have read and seen the movie and liked the movie.”
But the real reason he picked the movie was the acting of Gregory Peck. Freeman notes him as a huge influence along with two others: “Gregory Peck was one of my favourite actors. Gregory Peck and Gary Cooper and Humphrey Bogart, those guys.”
But for many Black actors making their way in Hollywood, only one man provided the “guiding light” for them as people of colour—Sidney Poitier. Poitier was the first Black man to win the Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’ and was the oldest living and earliest surviving recipient of the prestigious accolade until he passed in 2022, whose distinguished career is a celebration of the world of cinema.
Among the many tributes to Poitier upon the news of his death was Morgan Freeman, who summarised the wide impact of Poitier in just a few short words: “Sidney was my inspiration, my guiding light, my friend. Sending love to Joanna and his family.”
Poitier served as a guiding example, clearing the path for emerging Black artists to assert their previously denied recognition. Even now, after many years, this iconic actor continues to inspire countless aspiring actors navigating industry biases, striving to achieve significant success.
