Will Smith is not only a respected figure in the industry but he is also an entity that has a lot of respect for the veterans in the field.

Throwback to When Will Smith Wrote a Heartfelt Tribute to Sidney Poitier

A boy from Philadelphia who was not willing to bend the promise he made to his
grandmother about not using profanities in his song to become a Grammy-winning
rapper was an achievement unheard of. And for the same boy to become of the
greatest actors that Hollywood has known was also a feat too remarkable to put
into words. However, Will Smith [https://www.netflixjunkie.com/tag/will-smith/]
is not the only black actor with a story that personifies what it means to break
boundaries. While there are many that come to mind, one that the Independence
Day actor himself acknowledged is Sidney Poitier.

The legendary actor who took storytelling and acting to heights unprecedented
died in January 2022. And Will Smith was among the first celebrities to pay a
deserving tribute to the acting legend.


WILL SMITH PENNED A SOULFUL TRIBUTE TO SIDNEY POITIER

Poitier in his long-spanning career not only marked blockbuster successes
through his acting performances, but also as a director. However, it is his
acting that cannot be discussed enough. And even made him the first black actor
to win an Oscar for Lilies of the Field in 1963. This is among the many reasons
why Will Smith could not help but call him “An icon, legend, visionary, and true
pioneer.” He followed it by thanking Poitier for breaking boundaries and paving
the path for actors like him.

>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View this post on Instagram
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  
> 
> A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)
> [https://www.instagram.com/p/CYfEFqMv0NC/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading]

Unfortunately, Sidney Poitier passed away before he saw Will Smith carry on his
legacy and win an Academy Award for his performance in King Richard. But given
how the night unfolded for Smith, one cannot help but be grateful that his
inspiration was not there.

ALSO READ: Will Smith’s Mysterious Disappearance Reason From the ‘Independence
Day’ Sequel Finally Revealed
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-will-smith-mysterious-disappearance-reason-from-the-independence-day-sequel-finally-revealed/]

Poitier inspired many in his life. Akin to Will Smith, Denzel Washington also
credited him for paving the path. But while the Independence Day actor has
thanked Poitier for paving the path, it seems like theirs never met.


DID THE KING RICHARD ACTOR AND SIDNEY POITIER WORK TOGETHER?

Will Smith started making box office hits left and right around the same time
Sidney Poitier made his big comeback with The Jackal. While the timelines of
their movies aligned, Smith and Poitier never worked together. It is likely that
the right script that involved the two of them never knocked at their doors.

Will Smith at Oscars
[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]Credits:
Imago

While it is sad that the audience never got to witness the ethereal performances
of Will Smith and Sidney Poitier in one project, the actors have given fans
enough to be thankful about. And for all his mistakes, Smith is still counted
among the most successful actors along with Sidney Poitier.

ALSO READ: Back When Will Smith Received Great Life Advice From Philanthropist
Jackie Chan
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-back-when-will-smith-received-great-life-advice-from-philanthropist-jackie-chan/]

Did you know that Will Smith and Sidney Poitier never worked together? Let us
know in the comments below.

Aliza Siddiqui

Comment

Throwback to When Will Smith Wrote a Heartfelt Tribute to Sidney Poitier - Netflix Junkie

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Meet Aliza Siddiqui, a Hollywood News reporter at Netflix Junkie. Her love affair with Hollywood began with Anne Hathaway and The Princess Diaries, but it was the thrilling climax of Don’t Look Up that cemented her infatuation with the industry and its filmmaking. Aliza's journey into entertainment reporting began with her time at Otakukart, where she wrote over a thousand articles. Her writing style is cheeky and engaging, as seen in her report "Somewhat Alarmed," where she narrates Jimmy Kimmel's hilarious story of how Jason Bateman tricked him into gecko-sitting. Aliza's ultimate dream is to study and critique films that capture her imagination and the attention of movie-goers worldwide. When she is not busy binge-watching Sacha Baron Cohen movies and The Office, she loves to curl up with a weathered copy of a Khaled Hosseini or Indu Sundaresan book.

https://netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-throwback-to-when-will-smith-wrote-a-heartfelt-tribute-to-sidney-poitier

Throwback to When Will Smith Wrote a Heartfelt Tribute to Sidney Poitier - netflix-junkie

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<p>A boy from Philadelphia who was not willing to bend the promise he made to his grandmother about not using profanities in his song to become a Grammy-winning rapper was an achievement unheard of. And for <strong>the same boy to become of the greatest actors that Hollywood has known</strong> was also a feat too remarkable to put into words. However, <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/tag/will-smith/">Will Smith</a> is not the only black actor with a story that personifies what it means to break boundaries. While there are many that come to mind, one that the <em>Independence Day</em> actor himself acknowledged is Sidney Poitier.</p>
<p>The legendary actor who<strong> took storytelling and acting to heights unprecedented </strong>died in January 2022. And Will Smith was among the first celebrities to pay a deserving tribute to the acting legend.</p>
<h2><strong>Will Smith penned a soulful tribute to Sidney Poitier</strong></h2>
<p>Poitier in his long-spanning career not only marked blockbuster successes through his acting performances, but also as a director. However, it is<strong> his acting that cannot be discussed enough</strong>. And even made him the first black actor to win an Oscar for <em>Lilies of the Field</em> in 1963. This is among the many reasons why Will Smith could not help but call him &#8220;<em>An icon, legend, visionary, and true pioneer</em>.&#8221; He followed it by thanking Poitier <strong>for breaking boundaries and paving the path for actors like him</strong>.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0;" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CYfEFqMv0NC/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
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<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CYfEFqMv0NC/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)</a></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Unfortunately, Sidney Poitier passed away before he saw Will Smith carry on his legacy and win an Academy Award for his performance in <em>King Richard</em>. But <strong>given how the night unfolded for Smith</strong>, one cannot help but be grateful that his inspiration was not there.</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ</strong>: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-will-smith-mysterious-disappearance-reason-from-the-independence-day-sequel-finally-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Smith’s Mysterious Disappearance Reason From the ‘Independence Day’ Sequel Finally Revealed</a></p>
<p>Poitier inspired many in his life. Akin to Will Smith, Denzel Washington also credited him for paving the path. But while the <em>Independence Day</em> actor has <strong>thanked Poitier for paving the path</strong>, it seems like theirs never met.</p>
<h2><strong>Did the King Richard actor and Sidney Poitier work together?</strong></h2>
<p>Will Smith started making box office hits left and right around the same time Sidney Poitier made his big comeback with<em> The </em>Jackal. While <strong>the timelines of their movies aligned</strong>, Smith and Poitier never worked together. It is likely that the right script that involved the two of them never knocked at their doors.</p>
<figure id="attachment_100177" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-100177" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-100177 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/imago0154369437h-scaled-e1680162265681.jpg" alt="Will Smith at Oscars" width="2560" height="1299" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/imago0154369437h-scaled-e1680162265681.jpg 2560w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/imago0154369437h-scaled-e1680162265681-300x152.jpg 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/imago0154369437h-scaled-e1680162265681-1024x520.jpg 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/imago0154369437h-scaled-e1680162265681-768x390.jpg 768w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/imago0154369437h-scaled-e1680162265681-1536x779.jpg 1536w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/imago0154369437h-scaled-e1680162265681-2048x1039.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-100177" class="wp-caption-text">Credits: Imago</figcaption></figure>
<p>While it is sad that the audience never got to witness the ethereal performances of Will Smith and Sidney Poitier in one project, <strong>the actors have given fans enough to be thankful about</strong>. And for all his mistakes, Smith is still counted among the most successful actors along with Sidney Poitier.</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ</strong>: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-back-when-will-smith-received-great-life-advice-from-philanthropist-jackie-chan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Back When Will Smith Received Great Life Advice From Philanthropist Jackie Chan</a></p>
<p>Did you know that Will Smith and Sidney Poitier never worked together? Let us know in the comments below.</p>


Back When Will Smith Received Great Life Advice From Philanthropist Jackie Chan

Will Smith’s Mysterious Disappearance Reason From the ‘Independence Day’ Sequel
Finally Revealed

<p>HOLLYWOOD, CA &#8211; FEBRUARY 24:  Actor Will Smith arrives at the Los Angeles World Premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures &#8216;Focus&#8217; at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 24, 2015 in Hollywood, California.  (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)</p>


Los Angeles Premiere Of Warner Bros. Pictures &#8220;Focus&#8221;

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Aliza Siddiqui is a Primary Editor at Netflix Junkie. Having written over 1000 articles on Tinseltown updates for NJ, she is a go-to for Hollywood updates, especially covering polarizing figures like Meghan Markle and Kanye West. She now uses her experience in entertainment coverage to maintain quality in the articles.

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Throwback to When Will Smith Wrote a Heartfelt Tribute to Sidney Poitier

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