Joanna Shimkus

Joanna Marie Shimkus[1] (born 30 October 1943) is a Canadian film actress. She is the widow of actor Sidney Poitier and mother of actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier.[2][3]

Joanna Shimkus
Born
Joanna Marie Shimkus

(1943-10-30) 30 October 1943
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
OccupationActress
Years active
  • 1964–1972
  • 2010
  • 2018
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1976; died 2022)​
Children2, including Sydney Tamiia Poitier

Early life

Joanna Marie Shimkus[1] was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Joseph Shimkus,[4] a Jewish father of Lithuanian descent[5] and Marie Petrie,[4] a Roman Catholic of Irish descent.[6] Her father worked for the Royal Canadian Navy.[7] She attended a convent school[8] and was brought up in Montreal.[9]

Career

She made her debut in 1964 in Jean Aurel's film De l'amour. (She was first featured in Jean-Luc Godard's short “Montparnasse-Levallois,” his contribution to the anthology film Six in Paris; it was shot in December 1963,[10] but the film was not released until 1965.) She was then noticed by film director Robert Enrico, who selected her to appear in three of his films; Les aventuriers (1967), opposite Alain Delon and Lino Ventura, Tante Zita (1968), and Ho! (1968).

She appeared in Joseph Losey's film Boom! (1968), opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and The Lost Man (1969), opposite Sidney Poitier. Her film career continued until the early 1970s, including roles in L'Invitée (1969), The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970), The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker (1971), and A Time for Loving (1972).

Personal life

Shimkus married Sidney Poitier in 1976, and they have two daughters: Anika and Sydney Tamiia, who is also an actress. Shimkus has three grandchildren; two from Anika and one from Sydney Tamiia. Sidney Poitier died on 6 January 2022, aged 94.[11]

Further reading
  • The Illustrated Who's Who of the Cinema, Lloyd Fuller Desser, Portland House, New York, 1987; ISBN 0-517-64419-3

References
  1. Sidney Poitier death certificate, tmz.com. Accessed April 28, 2022.
  2. Sandra Brennan (2008). "Joanna Shimkus". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008.
  3. Guy Flatley, Philadelphia (10 November 1968). "Sidney Poitier as Black Militant". The New York Times. p. D15.
  4. Marriage Register - Nova Scotia Archives archives.novascotia.ca
  5. Ogle Davis, Sally (20 July 1971). "Shimkus An Anti-Actress". St. Petersburg Times. p. 6-D. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  6. "She's From Halifax". The Calgary Herald. 4 September 1970.
  7. Joyce Haber (6 July 1969). "Joanna Shimkus Happy To Get By on Personality". Toledo Blade.
  8. Joyce Haber (18 May 1969). "Joanna Shimkus: Filmdom's Beautiful Ugly Duckling". Los Angeles Times.
  9. "Joanna Shimkus Poitier". American Masters. PBS. 6 October 1998. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  10. Wheeler W. Dixon, The Films of Jean-Luc Godard (SUNY Press, 1997), p. 57.
  11. Pulver, Andrew (7 January 2022). "Sidney Poitier, Black acting pioneer, dies aged 94". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
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