KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2024 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Legendary actor Sidney Poitier remembered by ASU film school

Legendary actor, director and activist Sidney Poitier died Friday at the age of 94. 

Part of his long legacy is ASU’s Sidney Poitier New American Film School, which remembered the actor after his passing.

Poitier is best known for his groundbreaking work as an actor in the 1950s and '60s. He gave his name to ASU’s film school in 2021.

Steven Tepper is the dean of ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, which houses the school.

“Often our creative fields are cutthroat, highly competitive, dog-eat-dog, and this is a man who forged a career by always being a statesman,” said Tepper.

Tepper says ASU students have been producing one-minute films to honor Poitier since last year and are now working to release those films to honor his memory.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to correct the name of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Vaughan Jones was a reporter at KJZZ from 2020 to 2022.