The Hollywood star was known for films including Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night and Lilies of the Field, for which he became the first Black man to win a Best Actor Oscar.
Six years later, he historically won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Lilies in the Field.
His first brush with award nominations came with The Defiant Ones (1958), which saw him nominated for Best Actor alongside co-star Tony Curtis.
Bahamian-American star Poitier was automatically granted US citizenship after being unexpectedly born in Miami while his parents were visiting.