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Joanna Shimkus | |
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| Born | Joanna Marie Shimkus (1943-10-30)30 October 1943 (age 81) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingSydney Tamiia Poitier |
Joanna Marie Shimkus[1] (born 30 October 1943) is a Canadian film actress. She is the widow of actorSidney Poitier and mother of actressSydney Tamiia Poitier.[2][3]
Joanna Marie Shimkus[1] was born inHalifax, Nova Scotia, to Joseph Shimkus,[4] aJewish father of Lithuanian descent,[5] and Marie Petrie,[4] a Roman Catholic of Irish descent.[6] Her father worked for theRoyal Canadian Navy.[7] She attended a convent school[8] and was brought up inMontreal.[9]
She made her debut in 1964 inJean Aurel's filmDe l'amour. (She was first featured inJean-Luc Godard's short "Montparnasse-Levallois," his contribution to the anthology filmSix in Paris; it was shot in December 1963,[10] but the film was not released until 1965.) She was then noticed by film directorRobert Enrico, who selected her to appear in three of his films;Les aventuriers (1967), oppositeAlain Delon andLino Ventura,Tante Zita (1968), andHo! (1968).
She appeared inJoseph Losey's filmBoom! (1968), oppositeElizabeth Taylor andRichard Burton, andThe Lost Man (1969), oppositeSidney Poitier. Her film career continued until the early 1970s, including roles inL'Invitée (1969),The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970),The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker (1971), andA Time for Loving (1972).
Shimkus married Sidney Poitier in 1976, and they have two daughters: Anika andSydney Tamiia, who is also an actress. Shimkus has three grandchildren; two from Anika and one from Sydney Tamiia. Sidney Poitier died on January 6, 2022, aged 94.[11]
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