NEW YORK — Celebrated director Kenny Leon describes actor Sidney Poitier, who died on Thursday, as his "hero."

"Our king has gone home," Leon said of his friend. "But he's left a lot for us to do." 

What You Need To Know

  • Acclaimed theater director Kenny Leon was friends with and drew great inspiration from his relationship with the late, great Sidney Poitier, who died Friday at the age of 94

  • Leon, who directed the 2004 Broadway revival of "A Raisin in the Sun" — the play that originally starred Poitier both on Broadway and in its film adaptation — came to know Poitier when he revisited the work in 2014

  • Leon won a Tony Award in 2021 for Best Director of a Play for his work on "A Soldier's Play," which also won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play

"Sidney just reminds us of all the good in people, and what we should do as artists," Leon added. "So in terms of being sad – I’m not sad, because that’s a long life. I think today I’ve been thinking a lot about how to take more Sidney Poitier with me."

Leon made his Broadway directorial debut staging the 2004 revival of “A Raisin in the Sun,” starring Sean Combs as Walter Lee Younger, a role created by Poitier on both stage and screen. Leon would later revisit the material in 2014, this time with Denzel Washington starring as Walter.

Leon spoke with NY1 about meeting Poitier for the first time in Los Angeles with Washington.

"I really appreciated what they did in 1959, and what it took to get 'A Raisin in the Sun' to Broadway, and I just wanted to remind him that everything we’re doing today, we stand on his shoulders," he said.

Leon, whose revival of "A Soldier's Play" won the 2021 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, and won him a Tony for his own work as Best Director of a Play, said if it weren’t for Poitier, he would not be where he is today.

"His legacy is, be your own person, leave a legacy that’s worthy of you," Leon said. "Don't worry about what other folks say; tell your stories. Embrace the stories that you think need to be told – and he did that."

And even though Poitier may no longer be with us, Leon said he will forever be present in his work moving forward.

"All I can say to Sidney Poitier is, thank you," he said. "Thank you."