Sammy Davis Jr - ©Theda Bara

The name I present to you in this post is that of the American actor, dancer, singer, musician and TV host, Sammy Davis Jr.

Davis spent his childhood in vaudeville and became known for his performances on Broadway and in Las Vegas, starring in television shows and films. He was part of the group of actors led by Frank Sinatra (1915-1998), with whom he was a great friend. Other names of Davis’ friends from Sinatra’s group were: Dean Martin (1917-1995) and Liza Minnelli (1946-)

Sammy Davis was also a close friend of Elvis Presley (1935-1977) and Michael Jackson (1958-2009), with whom he maintained good relations. Jackson had been a huge fan of Davis since he was a child and wrote the song “You Were There” for the Sammy Davis 60th birthday special, performing it live in 1989.

In 1954, Sammy lost his left eye in a car accident. In 1960, he appeared in his first movie, “Rat Pack”, without anyone noticing that he had lost an eye.

Sammy Davis Jr. was the first black artist to star in his own television show, but after converting to Judaism, he provoked great indignation in American conservative society and the public and, due to external pressure, saw his television show canceled by the network’s management. As an African-American, Davis was a victim of racism throughout his life and was a major funder of the civil rights cause.

“Why Me?” (1989), is an autobiographical book written by Sammy Davis Jr. - in it, the artist talks about his obsession with being a star, his fear of losing fame, his career in vaudeville, his friendship with American Protestant pastors and political activists Martin Luther King (1929-1968) and Jesse Jackson (1941-), and his estrangement from his family.

Davis never received an Oscar and was only recognized posthumously in 2001, receiving the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Sammy Davis Jr. has his star on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame, at 6254 Hollywood Boulevard, in the Music category.

Samuel George Davis, Jr., born December 8, 1925, in Harlem, New York, United States, died at the age of 64 of esophageal cancer on May 16, 1990, in Beverly Hills, California, United States, and is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles.

Sammy Davis Jr. had three marriages: his first wife was American actress Loray White (1934–). The couple had a disagreement due to jealousy and the relationship lasted approximately 1 year, from 1958 to 1959; his second marriage was to Swedish Maybritt Wilkens, known as May Britt (1934–), from 1960 to 1968, with whom he had two children, writer Tracey Davis (1961–2020) and professor Jeff Davis (1963–); his third marriage was to actress and model Joanne Davis (1943–2009), from 1970 to 1990, when Joanne was widowed by Sammy. The couple adopted two brothers, actor Manny Davis (1960–) and former basketball player Mark Davis (1963–).