There have been so many deaths recently in Hollywood, this one makes me very sad. I remember him as a young girl having such an elegant presence. He was on screen with Rod Steiger in the film In the Heat of the Night. We were living in Tucson and in our last home before moving back to the east coast, there was a drive-in we could ride our bikes to, and we’d watch without sound. He made such an impression on me. Later on and even as recently as last year I watched Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and his words speaking to his father, were so powerful. “You see yourself as a black man, I see myself as a man.” One sentence, covering the essence of a person’s beliefs. It was such a poignant moment in the film and proof, we can all create our own definitions of ourselves. At all times. RIP Mr. Poitier. Thank you for your stellar body of work.
DENISE MARSA 