Joanna Shimkus Biography – Wiki
Joanna Shimkus, Sidney Poitier’s wife, is a Canadian film actress of Lithuanian origin. She is the widow of Bahamian-American actor and diplomat Sidney Poitier and mother of actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier.
Age
Joanna Shimkus is 78-years-old, and her husband Sidney Poitier died at the age of 94-years-old.
Joanna Shimkus & Her Husband Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier and Joanna Shimkus shared a decades-long romance.
The groundbreaking actor died Thursday night at age 94, PEOPLE confirmed Friday morning. Known for such films as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night, and Lilies of the Field, Poitier became the first black man to win the Oscar for Best Actor on April 13, 1964.
Poitier first married Juanita Hardy in 1950 and they divorced in 1965. They shared four daughters: Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, and Gina. He later married Shimkus, a Canadian actress, in 1976, and they had two daughters together: Anika and Sydney.
While receiving a lifetime achievement award in 2016, Poitier told PEOPLE: “My wife and children mean more to me.” Shimkus added at the time of her secret to a lasting relationship: “We have been together for 49 years and I am a good cook. I cook every night … I take good care of him.”
In an emotional interview with Oprah Winfrey for O, the October 2000 issue of The Oprah Magazine, Poitier spoke about his marriage and parenting style, admitting that his children “are unlikely to say I’m easy” like dad. Regarding Shimkus: “She would tell you that I am a perfectionist to some degree and that I ask others for a certain kind of loyalty and respect for relationships. My wife would say that I am a bit harsh at times.” about children “.
He continued at that time: “In what I expect and demand of them in terms of values. My children respect my values and I can see some of those values in them. I like that because my values are not restrictive. They are human values. My children are quite intelligent, all six. ”
In the American Masters PBS documentary Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light, Shimkus recalled in a 1998 interview his wedding day, in which his two daughters were the flower girls and actor Harry Belafonte as the godfather of the groom. When asked if navigating an interracial relationship created problems in his daily life, he said it was not a problem for them.
“I guess we were meant to be [together],” he said at the time.
“I grew up in Canada and never really had any kind of prejudice, it’s different from America. I just never had those feelings. And we’ve never had a problem, really. It could be that we lead a very quiet life. It could be that we are, I really don’t know. But I never really saw him as a black man. I mean, I know he’s black, but I just saw him as a man, and he was just a wonderful person. An amazing human being. ”
She also shared what first attracted her to Poitier.
“What attracted me the most to him, I think, is his integrity and his honesty [and] his loyalty to his family. He’s just an amazing human being. He’s just a good, good, good person. “, she said. “And he is cute too, yeah! And he was especially beautiful then. He still is now, but he was very, very attractive then.”
When Poitier received the lifetime achievement award at the 2016 BAFTA Awards but was unable to travel to London to accept the award due to health concerns, he was presented with the award at his home in Los Angeles. In his speech at that time, he recognized his loved ones.
“Today my glass is overflowing because I am here with my daughter and the future filmmakers of the world to celebrate this wonderful art form,” Poitier said. “I’ve been very lucky. I have tried to be a good human being, a good actor, a good director, a good filmmaker. My wife is with me here. My wife, my children, and my friends have been keeping me on my feet. To my family, my life force, I am nothing without you. And to all of you, thank you for your warm embrace and this extraordinary moment and I remember that I will treasure it. ”
Joanna Shimkus Husband Sidney Poitier Death
The groundbreaking actor died Thursday night at age 94, PEOPLE confirmed Friday morning. Known for such films as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night, and Lilies of the Field, Poitier became the first black man to win the Oscar for Best Actor on April 13, 1964.
Sidney Poitier was the legendary actor and director who died according to TMZ, the first outlet to report the news.
The outlet confirmed the news of the actor’s death with the Bahamian Foreign Minister’s office on Friday, January 7, 2022. According to journalist Roland Martin, Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell said on Friday that Poitier “passed away last night. Details surrounding the death, including the cause and place of his death, have yet to be revealed.
Poitier died in the Bahamas on January 6, 2022, at the age of 94.
Legendary actor and director Sidney Poitier has died at 94, according to TMZ, the first outlet to report the news.
The funeral arrangements have also not been disclosed yet.
