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).
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 January 6, 2022, aged 94.[11]
Further reading
The Illustrated Who's Who of the Cinema, Lloyd Fuller Desser, Portland House, New York, 1987; ISBN0-517-64419-3