Sidney Poitier's Granddaughter Celebrated Birthday & Showed Her 4 Kids - Actor's Big Family Preserves His Legacy

• Legendary actor Sidney Poitier is survived by a big family that keeps his legacy alive.

• Sidney's great-granddaughter celebrated her birthday and showed her children, who are Sidney's great-greats.

• The actor's family opened up about what kind of father, grandfather, and great-grandfather he was.

One of the most famous Black actors of the 1950s and 1960s is still celebrated by his family months after his death. The Bahamian-American actor passed away in January 2022, and his family is still celebrating his life a year later.

Poitier left behind a large and beautiful family when he passed on. Although they were heartbroken by his death, they often shared what a wonderful man he was when he was still alive.

Poitier was the father of six daughters when he passed away at 94. His daughters were Beverley, Pamela, Sherry, Anika, Sydney, and Gina, who sadly passed away in 2018. His daughters came from two relationships.

Beverley, Pamela, Sherry, and Gina were born to him and his ex-wife, Juanita Hardy. Poitier was married to Hardy for fifteen years. Anika and Sydney were welcomed by Poitier and his second wife, Joanna Shimkus, to who he was married until his death.

His daughters have all grown into admirable women, but Poitier once shared that he was hard on them growing up. He admitted:

"My children respect my values, and I can see some of those values in them. That pleases me because my values are not constricting. They are human values. My kids are quite intelligent—all six of them."

While he said he was hard on his daughters in a way that helped them become admirable women, he said they were his greatest joy in life. Not even his accolades in his professional life could measure up.

Poitier often gushed about his daughters, saying how much he loved and respected them and everything they had done in their lives. He mentioned that his home life was more important than his screen time.

As proud as Poitier was of his daughters, they were as pleased to have him as their father. Sydney shared anecdotes about her father, saying he was an excellent father and would let them do his hair and makeup and then call room service so he would be seen. She gushed:

"We're blessed to have him as a dad. The world knows him as this iconic, legendary historical figure. But he's also just a really, really good dad."

Sydney called her father legendary and historical because of his career history. Poitier was raised on a tomato farm in the Bahamas. He made his way to New York via Miami and became an actor.

In 1964, he made history by becoming the first Black man to win an Oscar for best actor for his role in "Lilies in the Field." His ex-wife said he had the most integrity out of anyone she had ever known.

Poitier's six daughters gave him eight grandchildren, and those grandchildren gave him three grandchildren before he passed away. They have all gone into different lines of work, but some have followed in his Hollywood footsteps.

How Did Poiter's Granddaughter Celebrate Her Birthday?

Poitier's granddaughter, Aisha, celebrated her birthday, and her family members shared birthday tributes on their social media pages. Beverley Poitier said she hoped everyone who saw her on the day would spoil her.

Aisha celebrates her birthday on January 6, and Poitier passed away on January 12 last year, just six days after his granddaughter's birthday. She took to social media on the day to share memories of her beloved grandfather, saying she knew he would be singing happy birthday to her.

She shared many photos of them together and said she had always asked him when her birthday was. One day he asked her when his birthday was, and she didn't have the answer, leading her to say that although he could be severe, he could also be silly and affectionate.

Aisha then mentioned that she would miss her grandfather. She has never been afraid to share photos of her family on social media, often posting about how much she loves spending time with her family, consisting of her husband and four children.

What Kind of Grandpa and Great-Grandpa was Poiter?

Beverley Poitier has often shared photos and videos of her father on social media, talking about how much she loved him and how proud she was to be his daughter. On his last earthly birthday, she posted a tribute to him.

She shared a photo on Instagram of her and her father taking a smiling selfie. She then shared pictures of him and his grandchildren as they all sat in chairs, and he stood smiling behind them. The caption read:

"Happy Birthday, Daddy! What a great Dad, Granddad, and Great Grandad! We love you!!!!"

After Poitier retired, he said his primary role would be to be the best grandfather and great-grandfather he could be. In 2021, he had been retired for 21 years after saying he obliged himself to do so.

He had numerous acting credits and tried his hand at directing over 50 films during his career. His family members reminisced that even the youngest children in their family knew that he was someone important.

Talking about what he has achieved in life and what he is most proud of doing, Poitier said it was his family, adding:

"Where I've invested most in the future of this planet, is through the lives of six talented and intelligent young women, truly beautiful human beings, whom I burst with pride to call my daughters."

Now that his family has to celebrate his birthdays without him there, they remain steadfast in keeping his legacy alive by talking about him, teaching others about what he did, and sharing their favorite memories.