Jenny Lynn Shimizu (born June 16, 1967) is an American[2] model and actress.
Early life
Shimizu was born in San Jose, California, and raised in Santa Maria.[3]
Career
While working as a mechanic,[2][4][3] 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 "American Beauty" campaign.
She became the first Asian model to walk for the highly influential catwalk Prada and also became the first minority model to open the show.[5]
In 2019, Shimizu appeared in the acclaimed documentary House of Cardin, discussing the ground breaking Pierre Cardin model, Hiroko Matsumoto. [10]
Personal life
In the mid-1990s, Shimizu had a romantic relationship with Angelina Jolie, 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 husband (Jonny Lee Miller)."[11] During that same decade, she also had a romantic relationship with Madonna, which she later recalled by saying "You'd get a phone call like, 'Hey can you meet me at my Paris show. You're in Europe right?' So I'd be like, 'Yeah, I'm just finishing Prada. Right after Prada I'll catch a plane over.' And I would. I'd go over to her hotel, to the Ritz, at like 4 in the morning, have sex, and then fly back to Milan."[12]
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 in the U.S.).[13] The two had a relationship for a period thereafter.
In 2012, Shimizu met Michelle Harper at a party.[14] They married in August 2014.[15]
