Born 1943 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canadian actress and model Joanna Shimkus 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, 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).
Shimkus 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).
Shimkus married Sidney Poitier in 1976, and they have two daughters: Anika and Sydney Tamiia, who is also an actress. Sidney Poitier died in 2022, aged 94. Take a look at these beautiful photos to see portraits of a young Joanna Shimkus as a model in the 1960s.
Joanna Shimkus, photo by Giancarlo Botti, Paris, France, 1963
Joanna Shimkus, photo by Giancarlo Botti, Paris, France, 1963
Joanna Shimkus in checkerbadger coat, cocoa-colored leather checked with natural plucked badger fur, closed with brass hinges and belted, by Gunther Jaeckel Furs, belt by Calderon, photo by David Bailey, Vogue, August 1, 1968
Joanna Shimkus in long gray wool knit sweater-weskit over a big-sleeved white cotton piqué cravat-shirt, sweater by Sportempos, shirt by Sarff-Zumpano, photo by David Bailey, Vogue, August 1, 1968
Joanna Shimkus in pale oatmeal, wool knit double-breasted coatdress tied with a strip of fringed leather by Kimberly, beige felt hat by Mr. John, photo by David Bailey, Vogue, August 1, 1968
Leave a Reply