Missing A Legend
Last week, I woke up and saw that we lost a living legend, Sidney Poitier. As a huge film and television fan, I grew up with the chance to watch his movies and follow his career. Yet, what I will always remember about Sidney was his kindness and generosity.
I had the pleasure of meeting Sidney in March of 2002 prior to him accepting an honorary Oscar from Denzel Washington.
I was waiting to meet two colleagues in a restaurant inside the Rodeo Hotel in Beverly Hills. I had never been at this property before and had heard that there might be some celebrities around if I kept my eyes open.?As I walked into the hotel lobby, I grabbed a USA Today and found my way into the restaurant. I was the first to arrive and took my time to peruse through the paper.
As my friends joined me, we started to chat and ordered our breakfast. I took a moment to gaze away from the table, and who did I see, but Sidney Poitier. It was like looking at royalty. I double checked with my friends to make sure I was accurate, and they agreed. Now, all of us to had to be careful that we weren’t caught leering at him.
I told them that I was going to ask Sidney for his autograph, and they laughed at me and said, “you can’t do that, that is Sidney Poitier. I told them to trust me, I could pull this off. What they didn’t realize was there was no way for Sidney to leave the restaurant without walking by our table. So, I was going to have my chance to chat with him.
As he began to exit the restaurant:
I said, “excuse me, Mr. Poitier…”
He said, “Yes.”
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“Have you seen today’s USA Today?” I asked.
“No, I have not,” he said.
I grabbed the publication from under my chair and pulled out the Lifestyle section of the publication in which there was a photo of him holding his Oscar from 1963 for his film, Lilies of the Field.
He said, “This is quite flattering, thank you for sharing this with me.”
And, I responded, “Would you mind signing this for me?”
He smiled politely and asked me what my name was. I shared and he then autographed the paper, shook my hand and wished me and my friends a good morning. Wow.
When, I read his note, he wrote, “Scott, may the wind always be at your back, Sidney Poitier.”
It was an amazing moment, one that obviously has stayed with me to this moment. RIP, Mr. Poitier, you have changed a generation and left a legacy that will last forever.
PR at National Football League (NFL) | Forbes 30 Under 30 2024 | ADCOLOR Futures Ambassador
3 年This is incredible. His legacy lives on forever
Corporate Communications Consultant & Writer at Ann Cavanaugh Communications
3 年Hi Scott: Great story! Amazing you had that USA Today piece on you at that moment. I met Mr. Poitier when I was about 22 years old on my very first trip to NYC, in 1981. I was with girlfriends from work -- five of us with little money but lots of enthusiasm, crammed into a midtown hotel, and not a very good one at that! On our first full day, we headed out after breakfast, and had only gone a few blocks, when something caught my eye, on the steps of a large church (St. Patrick's, I think). And there he was ... MR. TIBBS himself! What a vision! Mr Poitier was immaculately dressed in white from head to toe: white shirt, white belt, white pants, white shoes, all like it had just been delivered and unwrapped 10 minutes before! And hard to believe, the man was even better looking in person. I said to my girlfriends: "Look it's Sidney Poitier!!!! They didn't seem impressed. "Let's go ask him for an autograph," I said, excitedly. They didn't want to do that. "Look girls," I said, "we have two options here. We can go home and say we saw Sidney Poitier, or we can go home and say we talked to Sidney Poitier. I'm going home saying I talked to Sidney Poitier." And with that, I strode on ahead, leaving my posse huddled on the sidewalk. I climbed the steps and said: "Hello, are you Sidney Poitier?" He turned and turned and looked at me. No, actually, it felt like he looked IN TO me -- a deep penetrating gaze, very kindly gaze. "Yes I am," he said. Suddenly I felt the English language start to slip away. "My whole family loves you! My Mom and Dad love all your films." (I was trying to be cool, and failing by the second! He was standing with a young man, who had almost shoulder length brown hair, and gold-rimmed aviator glasses. Mr. Poitier sensing my discomfort, graciously carried the conversation and said: "We're here scouting locations for a film." He then went on to outline the plot, which I've totally forgotten as I was becoming overwhelmed by the moment. "But we don't have a title yet. What do you think we should call it?" he asked. Me: "Uuumm, oh, gee, I don't know, but can I have your autograph, please?" And I fumbled in my purse finding a scrap of paper (not even a proper autograph book) and a pen. We chatted another minute, and then I thanked him and said goodbye. The young man with him had been silent the whole time, just smiling watching this young girl from small-town Canada having a moment she'd remember forever, with this handsome, gracious movie star. I remembered that young man's face and the way he smiled at the exchange in front of him very well. I saw his face all over the news about a year later when the film ET came out. Turns out he was the director of that film, a guy named Steven Spielburg!
CEO at Kids in the Spotlight, Inc., TEDx Speaker, Leaders In The Spotlight Host, Exhorter, & Nonprofit and Social Enterprise Consultant
3 年Wow!!! Talk about perfect timing!! Such a beautiful story. I could feel the beauty of that moment as I was reading your story. Thanks for sharing.
Marketing | eSchool Media | Driving Engagement and Conversions
3 年Thanks for sharing that great story! I was so moved and mesmerized by his films growing up. Now I want to go back and rewatch them all.
What a great story Scott! He was a great actor and person! Hope you’re all well. All good here with me. ??