Jenny Lynn Shimizu (born June 16, 1967) is an American model and actress.

Early life

Shimizu was born in San Jose, California, and raised in Santa Maria.

Career

While working as a mechanic, Shimizu was approached to model for the Calvin Klein CK1 fragrance ads and model Calvin Klein fashions. She later was featured in the

Banana Republic In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the export of natural resources. In 1904, the American author O. Henry coined the term to describe Honduras and neighboring c ...

"American Beauty" campaign. She became the first Asian model to walk for the highly influential catwalk

Prada Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding t ...

and also became the first minority model to open the show. Shimizu was one of the stars of ''

Foxfire Foxfire, also called fairy fire and chimpanzee fire, is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish-green glow is attributed to a luciferase, an oxidative enzyme, which emits light as it reacts with ...

'', alongside

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

. She also had a supporting role in Jamie Babbit's 2007 film ''

Itty Bitty Titty Committee ''Itty Bitty Titty Committee'' is a feminist lesbian comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit. It was released on September 28, 2007. It follows the political awakening of Anna, a young, mild-mannered lesbian woman who joins a radical feminist group ...

''. Shimizu appeared in the third season of the

Here TV Here TV is an American premium television network targeting LGBT audiences. Launched in 2002, Here TV is available nationwide on all major cable systems, fiber optics systems, and Internet TV providers as either a 24/7 premium subscription channe ...

original series '' Dante's Cove''. In 2005, Shimizu appeared on

Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15, and was the first Africa ...

's reality show ''

America's Next Top Model ''America's Next Top Model'' (abbreviated ''ANTM'' and ''Top Model'') is an American reality television series and interactive competition in which a number of aspiring models compete for the title of "America's Next Top Model" and a chance to b ...

''. She appeared in season two of Bravo TV's '' Make Me a Supermodel'' as a member of the judging panel.

Personal life

In the mid-1990s, Shimizu had a romantic relationship with

, which Jolie confirmed in a 1997 interview when she said, "I fell in love with her the first second I saw her. I would probably have married Jenny if I hadn't married my irsthusband ( Jonny Lee Miller)." In 2005, to protest against America's laws on gay marriage, Shimizu took part in a staged wedding ceremony with Rebecca Loos on the Sky documentary ''Power Lesbian UK'' (broadcast as ''Power Lesbians'' on

LOGO A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...

in the U.S.). The two had a relationship for a period thereafter. In 2012, Shimizu met Michelle Harper at a party. They married in August 2014.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shimizu, Jenny 1967 births American female models American actresses of Japanese descent American models of Japanese descent American lesbian actresses LGBT models Living people Actresses from Los Angeles People from Santa Maria, California People from San Jose, California Actresses from San Jose, California LGBT American people of Asian descent LGBT people from California 21st-century American women