Where is Angelina Jolie’s ex-girlfriend Jenny Shimizu today? The Maleficent star dated the Japanese-American Calvin Klein model after meeting on the set of Foxfire – and was invited to her wedding

May 19 , 2024

CK One model Jenny Shimizu dated Angelina Jolie for several years after the pair met on a film set. Photos: @ariasagay/X; @jennyshimizu/Instagram

Rumour has it that Angelina Jolie may be in a new relationship – if recent media reports are anything to go by.

Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Justin Levine and Angelina Jolie attend the opening night of The Outsiders together on April 1. Photo: Getty Images

Apparently, talk of a possible romance between Jolie and composer Justin Levine have set “the Broadway community” alight in recent weeks as the pair work together on the musical adaptation of The Outsiders, according to Perez Hilton.

Angelina Jolie was barely 20 years old when she met Jenny Shimizu on Foxfire. Photo: @Shar16Fran/X

While it’s unclear whether the speculation has any basis in fact, Jolie has remained tight lipped about her personal life since her highly publicised split from Brad Pitt – so it’s unlikely she’ll be divulging much about her love life to the press any time soon.

Jenny Shimizu on holiday in Italy. Photo: @jennyshimizu/Instagram

As we await more news, we’ve decided to take a trip down memory lane – and a look back at one of Jolie’s lesser-known former flings: Jenny Shimizu. Here’s what we know about their former relationship, and where Shimizu is today:

Where is Jenny Shimizu from?

Jenny Shimizu was Angelina Jolie’s first public relationship with a woman. Photo: @jennyshimizu/Instagram

According to her IMDB profile, Shimizu was born in San Jose, California, and raised in Santa Maria, where she enrolled at California State University, Northridge on a basketball scholarship.

Jenny Shimizu is American Japanese. Photo: @jennyshimizu/Instagram

She has Japanese roots, per Out magazine.

She is a model and actress – and police officer

Jenny Shimizu’s androgynous look was hugely popular with fashion brands in the 90s. Photo: @jennyshimizu/Instagram

Besides having links to Jolie, Shimizu made a name for herself as a popular face in the fashion world and rose to fame as a model in the 1990s, per Refinery29. She was chosen as one of the faces of Calvin Klein’s groundbreaking unisex fragrance, CK One, at the time, and went on to model for brands including Versace, Prada, Jean Paul Gaultier, Yohji Yamamoto, Donna Karan, Anna Sui, Thierry Mugler and The Gap, according to her IMDB page.

She also reportedly starred in a string of productions and in Madonna’s “Rain” music video.

Jenny Shimizu decided to get in “peak physical shape” to become a police officer. Photo: @jennyshimizu/Instagram

In 2017, she opened up about her new role as a police officer (or “peace officer” as she calls it) in a conversation with Refinery29. “When I first thought about what my next move in life would be, it became clear that being a peace officer was what I truly wanted to do,” she shared. “I’m now working on getting in peak physical shape to meet the demands of the job, which is the first step in preparing for the academy, which upon graduation leads to working formally as a peace officer.”

She’s married to ‘eccentric’ business-person Michelle Harper

Jenny Shimizu and Michelle Harper have been married since 2014. Photo: @jennyshimizu/Instagram

In 2014, Shimizu tied the knot with business-person Michelle Harper, as reported by The Cut.

Jenny Shimizu is married to Michelle Harper. Photo: @jennyshimizu/Instagram

Harper was once described by The New York Times as “eccentric” and “a woman of mystery”. According to Cosmopolitan, Shimizu actually invited Jolie to the nuptials – though the Mr and Mrs Smith actress didn’t attend.

How did Angelina Jolie and Jenny Shimizu meet?

Jenny Shimizu and Angelina Jolie reportedly dated for around four years. Photo: @Shar16Fran/X

According to She Knows, Shimizu was Jolie’s first public relationship with a woman and they met while filming Foxfire, which was released in 1996.

How long did Angelina Jolie and Jenny Shimizu date?

Angelina Jolie and Jenny Shimizu on the set of Foxfire. Photo: @Shar16Fran/X

Per Cosmopolitan, the timeline is a bit fuzzy, but Jolie and her then-girlfriend dated (possibly on and off) from 1996 to 2000. In a 1997 interview with Girlfriends magazine, Jolie shared, “I probably would have married Jenny Shimizu if I hadn’t married my husband. I fell in love with her the first second I saw her.”

Who else has Angelina Jolie dated?

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s long running divorce is reportedly still not finalised. Photo: Getty Images

Jolie’s public dating history goes back to when she first entered the entertainment industry. She was married to her first husband Jonny Lee Miller from 1996 for three years, then briefly dated Jenny Shimizu, and tied the knot with Billy Bob Thornton in 2000, before calling it quits in 2003.

Jolie’s most high-profile relationship was of course with Brad Pitt, as she was accused of causing Pitt’s divorce from his then-wife Jennifer Aniston, per Us Weekly. Jolie denied these accusations at the time, telling audiences on the Today show that she “wouldn’t be attracted to a man who would cheat on his wife”.

Pitt and Jolie are yet to finalise their divorce, according to Us Weekly. Jolie has since been publicly linked to The Weeknd, though if there was any hint of romance it seems to have fizzled out, while Pitt is now dating Paul Wesley’s ex-wife, Ines De Ramon.

Fame and celebrity

Long before Brad Pitt came along, Angelina Jolie fell head over heels for Japanese American model Jenny Shimizu after they met on a film set
Shimizu rose to fame in the 90s as a model for CK One, worked with Versace, Prada, Jean Paul Gaultier and Donna Karan, and was in one of Madonna’s music videos