The legendary actor Sidney Poitier experienced two deeply significant marriages and was a proud father to six daughters. His first marriage lasted over a decade, while his second, with Canadian actress Joanna Shimkus, endured lovingly until his passing in 2022.
On his birthday, what is the first film you think of when you see SIDNEY POITIER? pic.twitter.com/ifJuxUCdkP— All The Right Movies (@ATRightMovies) February 20, 2025
Joanna Shimkus once described their connection as “destined,” and their remarkable 45-year interracial marriage was built on love, trust, and mutual admiration. Together, they welcomed two daughters and lived a life that reflected not only Hollywood glamour but true emotional partnership.
Sidney Poitier and Juanita Hardy pictured with Willy Brandt in 1960, in Berlin, Germany. | Source: Getty Images
Before Joanna, Sidney had a different chapter in his personal life. His first marriage to Juanita Hardy began in 1950, during a time when he sought meaning amidst nightlife and material distractions. Despite early doubts, Juanita brought a sense of stability he hadn’t known. A model and dancer with strong roots in the arts, she stood beside him through years of struggle and success.
They had four daughters together—Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, and Gina. Despite financial hardships in the beginning, including Sidney working shifts at a barbecue restaurant, the couple built a family. Over time, Sidney’s career skyrocketed. From earning his first Oscar nomination in 1959 to becoming the first Black man to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards in 1964 for Lilies of the Field, his success was groundbreaking.
However, fame came with challenges. His demanding career and a long romantic entanglement with actress Diahann Carroll led to the end of his first marriage in 1965. Though Sidney and Carroll never married, their relationship lasted nearly a decade.
Everything changed when Sidney met Joanna Shimkus in 1968 on the set of The Lost Man. Their connection was immediate. They married in 1976 and welcomed daughters Anika and Sydney. Joanna became not only his life partner but his greatest source of emotional strength. She often described him as honest, kind, and full of integrity.
Joanna reflected on their interracial marriage with remarkable grace: “I never really did see him as a Black man. I just saw him as a man—and a wonderful one at that.” Raised in Canada, she said her upbringing spared her from many societal prejudices, allowing their bond to flourish naturally.
Over the decades, their relationship grew stronger through simple acts of devotion—like Joanna cooking for him every evening. Sidney valued structure, respect, and moral grounding in his family, and his children often spoke of the quiet strength and high standards he modeled.
In later years, even when he couldn’t attend ceremonies like the BAFTA Awards due to health issues, he acknowledged his family above all else. “My wife, my children, my friends—they are my life force,” he said.
Sidney Poitier and Joanna Shimkus at the premiere of “Let’s Do It Again,” 1975 | Source: Getty Images
Following his passing, Joanna discovered a drawer filled with Sidney’s personal writings and speeches. These reflections became the foundation for a posthumous book: Sidney Poitier: The Great Speeches of an Icon Who Moved Us Forward.
Sidney Poitier and Joanna Shimkus attend the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation’s 6th Annual Christmas Gala and Fundraiser on December 19, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
Through all his accolades and acclaim, Sidney Poitier’s most treasured role was that of husband and father. His legacy lives on not just in film, but in the love and values he passed down to his family—and in the unwavering partnership he shared with Joanna Shimkus.
