{"id":1049,"date":"2024-02-21T20:39:59","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T20:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/?p=1049"},"modified":"2024-02-21T20:39:59","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T20:39:59","slug":"legendary-actor-sidney-poitier-fell-for-his-wife-of-45-years-on-a-movie-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/?p=1049","title":{"rendered":"Legendary actor Sidney Poitier fell for his wife of 45 years on a movie set"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>As the first Black man to win an Oscar, Sidney Poitier\u2019s six-decade career has been credited with paving the way for so many other Black actors.<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"311fe198f191a864c1efcdfa9efedfdf\" data-index=\"3\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1782571\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Following his death on January 6 at 94, tributes poured in for the icon, including former President Barack Obama, who said Sidney was \u201ca singular talent who epitomized dignity and grace.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Fellow actor Denzel Washington said it was a privilege to Sidney, a friend adding: \u201cHe was a gentle man and opened doors for all of us that had been closed for years.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-93980 lazyautosizes ls-is-cached lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-105065229.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 664px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-105065229.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-105065229-768x768.jpg 768w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-105065229.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-105065229.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-105065229-768x768.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1024\" data-eio-rheight=\"1024\" \/><figcaption>Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier at the 39th Academy Awards in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, 10th April 1967. He is presenting the award for Best Supporting Actress. (Photo by Archive Photos\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After securing his first lead role in the movie\u00a0<em>Blackboard Jungle\u00a0<\/em>in 1955,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.newsner.com\/tag\/sidney-poitier\/\">Sidney Poitier<\/a>\u00a0went on to star in 55 films and TV series and will go down in history for breaking down Hollywood\u2019s racial barriers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-1865f01288dde4ab37beb89497e13a3c\" class=\"newsner-1865f01288dde4ab37beb89497e13a3c newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<p>As the saying goes \u2018No\u00a0man<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>succeeds without\u00a0a\u00a0good\u00a0woman behind<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>him\u2019 this was the case with the Bahamian-American actor who married Canadian actress Joanna Shimkus in 1976.<\/p>\n<p>But by the time he met Shimkus he\u2019d already been married, had four children, and had an affair.<\/p>\n<p>Poitier was the youngest of seven children who spent the first ten years of his life on Cat Island in the Bahamas where his father had a farm. The family would travel to Miami to sell products which is where Poitier was unexpectedly born three months premature \u2013 which meant he was entitled to U.S. citizenship.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-93978 lazyautosizes lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202354\/GettyImages-1237615876.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 664px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202354\/GettyImages-1237615876.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202354\/GettyImages-1237615876-768x548.jpg 768w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"731\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202354\/GettyImages-1237615876.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202354\/GettyImages-1237615876.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202354\/GettyImages-1237615876-768x548.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1024\" data-eio-rheight=\"731\" \/><figcaption>Hollywood honors actor Sidney Poitier at the site of his star on the Walk of Fame on January 08, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by AaronP\/Bauer-Griffin\/GC Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After moving to the Bahamas\u2019 capital Nassau he then moved to America when he was 15, and served in\u00a0World War Two\u00a0as a teen after lying about his age.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-d0ed12a7e2bc3c72d916d2c25b473aaf\" class=\"newsner-d0ed12a7e2bc3c72d916d2c25b473aaf newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<p>After leaving the army, he worked as a dishwasher until an audition landed him a role with the American Negro Theatre in Harlem,\u00a0New York. It was the budding actor\u2019s second attempt to get in after\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/sidney-poitier-extraordinary-story-icon-163250189.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">he was told<\/a>\u00a0he \u201ccould hardly read\u201d and couldn\u2019t be an actor with the accent he had after his first audition when he was 18 years old.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-1824054598\" class=\"newsner-article_inside_content\">\n<div id=\"ad-modul_dynamic_5\" class=\"ad-space\" data-target=\"eyJwYWdlUGF0aCI6Ii9jZWxlYnJpdHkvbGVnZW5kYXJ5LWFjdG9yLXNpZG5leS1wb2l0aWVyLWZlbGwtZm9yLWhpcy13aWZlLW9mLTQ1LXllYXJzLW9uLWEtbW92aWUtc2V0LyIsInBhZ2VUaXRsZSI6IkxlZ2VuZGFyeSBhY3RvciBTaWRuZXkgUG9pdGllciBmZWxsIGZvciBoaXMgd2lmZSBvZiA0NSB5ZWFycyBvbiBhIG1vdmllIHNldCIsInBhZ2VDYXRlZ29yeSI6IkNlbGVicml0eSIsInBhZ2VBdHRyaWJ1dGVzIjoiSm9hbm5hIFNoaW1rdXMsIHNpZG5leSBwb2l0aWVyIiwicGFnZUxhbmd1YWdlIjoiZW5fVVMiLCJwYWdlVHlwZSI6InBvc3QiLCJyZWZlcnJlciI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbC5mYWNlYm9vay5jb20vIiwiZmFjZWJvb2siOiJ0cnVlIn0=\" data-google-query-id=\"CNPmxv6kvYQDFRhP9ggdzs4B2g\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/125128856\/en_newsner_com\/modul_1__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Undeterred by the harsh rejection he went away and bought himself a radio so he could mimic the accents he heard, read any newspaper and magazine he could get his hands on, and enlisted the help of an elderly Jewish waiter at the restaurant where he worked as a dishwasher to help him read and expand his vocabulary.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-instagram wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-0\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CLih4UjJOOa\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=960&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com&amp;rp=%2Fcelebrity%2Flegendary-actor-sidney-poitier-fell-for-his-wife-of-45-years-on-a-movie-set%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR11tg3O0zUQ5bDnygNfagp1bbXlYSsIhHDCzBOrSJ1IiDxpxEjMfOqVXvc#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1171%7D\" height=\"935\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>He returned to the production company a year and a half later where he had another audition which secured him a place on the program and a career that would win him countless awards.<\/p>\n<p>Over a decade later after he first appeared on our screens he became the first Black actor to win an Oscar for the film\u00a0\u201cLilies of the Field.\u201d\u00a0But perhaps his most important role was in \u201cThe Lost Man\u201d where he met his future wife, Joanna Shimkus.\u00a0The movie was released in 1969 four years after Poitier and his first wife Juanita Hardy divorced.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-9a15faf3da59aa6b5daffab608f0e05d\" class=\"newsner-9a15faf3da59aa6b5daffab608f0e05d newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<p>It was also the year after his nine-year affair with actress\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Diahann_Carroll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Diahann Carroll<\/a>\u00a0ended.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-93981 lazyautosizes lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-529305355.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 664px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-529305355.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-529305355-768x518.jpg 768w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"691\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-529305355.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-529305355.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202353\/GettyImages-529305355-768x518.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1024\" data-eio-rheight=\"691\" \/><figcaption>Sidney Poitier with his wife Joanna Shimkuss; circa 1970; New York.<br \/>\n(Photo by Art Zelin\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sidney\u2019s first marriage to Juanita Hardy held for 15 years. They married in 1950 and separated in 1965. But his union with Joanna Shimkus stood the test of time and they shared two daughters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI guess we were just destined to be [together],\u201d Joanna said in 1998.<\/p>\n<p>Shimkus took a break from acting between 1972 and 2010 to raise their daughters Anika and Sidney who have both followed in their parents\u2019 footsteps.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-758cc75aff0af6abd8501add86e21974\" class=\"newsner-758cc75aff0af6abd8501add86e21974 newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<p>Anika\u00a0directed\u00a0\u201cBlack Irish,\u201d where Shimkus was an executive producer as well. Meanwhile, Sidney appeared in \u201cVeronica Mars\u201d and Quentin Tarantino\u2019s \u201cDeath Proof.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-93982 lazyautosizes lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202352\/GettyImages-105282596.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 664px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202352\/GettyImages-105282596.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202352\/GettyImages-105282596-768x582.jpg 768w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"776\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202352\/GettyImages-105282596.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202352\/GettyImages-105282596.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202352\/GettyImages-105282596-768x582.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1024\" data-eio-rheight=\"776\" \/><figcaption>Sidney Poitier and wife Joanna Shimkus during \u201cTwisted\u201d Premiere at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Speaking about how they\u2019ve made it work, Poitier\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.closerweekly.com\/posts\/inside-sidney-poitiers-life-of-grit-and-gratitude\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">said in an interview with Closer:<\/a> \u201cThere is one key ingredient my wife has helped me to recognize over the years, and that is the importance of articulating love for one another on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy wife and my children\u00a0mean the most to me,\u201d Sidney told People in 2016, while Shimkus added another detail to making their relationship last: \u201cWe\u2019ve been together 49 years and I\u2019m a good cook. I cook every night. \u2026 I take good care of him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite his many achievements in life: an honorary Academy Award for his work in the entertainment industry, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a knighthood from the Queen, he never lost sight of the importance of family.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-d1be608d291eb9ea04d8bd66e2d19f40\" class=\"newsner-d1be608d291eb9ea04d8bd66e2d19f40 newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-93983 lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202352\/GettyImages-184478632.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"736\" height=\"1024\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202352\/GettyImages-184478632.jpg\" data-eio-rwidth=\"736\" data-eio-rheight=\"1024\" \/><figcaption>Sidney Poitier (left) with wife Joanna Shimkus during 2004 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Mortons in Beverly Hills, California, United States. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff\/FilmMagic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The esteemed actor would often get together with his wife, ex-wife, and his six daughters, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p>Looking back in history, we\u2019ve seen many examples of couples having difficulty navigating an interracial relationship.<\/p>\n<p>But according to Joanna, it wasn\u2019t a problem for her and her husband.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-93984 lazyautosizes lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202351\/GettyImages-144179578.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 664px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202351\/GettyImages-144179578.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202351\/GettyImages-144179578-768x570.jpg 768w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"760\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202351\/GettyImages-144179578.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202351\/GettyImages-144179578.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/01\/05202351\/GettyImages-144179578-768x570.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1024\" data-eio-rheight=\"760\" \/><figcaption>Sidney Poitier, wife Joanna Shimkus and daughters attend the opening of \u201cDreamgirls\u201d on March 20, 1983 at the Shubert Theater in Century City, California.<br \/>\n(Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd.\/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI\u00a0grew\u00a0up\u00a0in\u00a0Canada\u00a0and\u00a0I\u00a0never\u00a0really\u00a0had\u00a0any\u00a0kind\u00a0of\u00a0prejudice \u2014 it\u2019s unlike America.\u00a0I\u00a0just\u00a0never\u00a0had\u00a0those\u00a0feelings. And we\u2019ve never had a problem, actually. It could be that we lead a very quiet life. It could be that it\u2019s just the way it is, I don\u2019t really know. But I never really did see him as a Black man. I mean, I know he is Black, but I just saw him as a man, and he was just a wonderful person. An amazing human being,\u201d she said in the<em>\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wnet\/americanmasters\/archive\/interviews\/872\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">documentary<\/a>\u00a0<em>Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RIP Sidney Poitier. You will forever hold a place in the hearts of people around the world for your talent, grace, and determination in the face of adversity.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Please share.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the first Black man to win an Oscar, Sidney Poitier\u2019s six-decade career has been credited with paving the way for so many other Black actors. Following&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1049"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1051,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1049\/revisions\/1051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}