Sammy Davis Jr. was often billed as the "greatest living entertainer in the world". The son of vaudeville star Sammy Davis Sr., he was known as someone who could do it all--sing, dance, play instruments, act, do stand-up--and he was known for his self-deprecating humor; he once heard someone complaining about discrimination, and he said, "You got it easy. I'm a short, ugly, one-eyed, black Jew. What do you think it's like for me?" A short stint in the army opened his eyes to the evils of racism--a slight man, he was often beaten up by bigger white soldiers and given the dirtiest and most dangerous assignments by white officers simply because he was black--and he helped break down racial barriers in show business in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in Las Vegas, where he often performed; when he started there in the early 1950s, he was not allowed to stay in the hotels he played in, as they refused to take blacks as customers. He also stirred up a large amount of controversy in the 1960s by openly dating, and ultimately marrying, blonde, blue-eyed, Swedish-born actress May Britt.

He starred in the Broadway musical "Golden Boy" in the 1960s. Initially a success, internal tensions, production problems and bad reviews--many of them directed at Davis for playing a role originally written for a white man--resulted in its closing fairly quickly. His film and nightclub career were in full swing, however, and he became even more famous as one of the "Rat Pack", a group of free-wheeling entertainers that included Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford.

A chain smoker, Davis died from throat cancer at the age of 64. When he died, he was in debt. To pay for Davis' funeral, most of his memorabilia was sold off.


Ocean's Eleven (1960): $125,000
Anna Lucasta (1959): $50,000

TV composer Morton Stevens ("Hawaii Five-O" (1968), "Police Woman" (1974)) was Davis' musical director between 1950 and 1960 before moving into television music composing. He then returned as music director for Sammy, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Liza Minnelli in the late 1980s. Member of the "Rat Pack" with Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. All appear in Ocean's Eleven (1960). Son of Sammy Davis Sr. and Elvera Davis. Always articulate, he never attended school of any kind; performing since the age of five, he was largely self-taught. Smoked 4 packs of cigarettes a day during his lifetime. During his childhood as a vaudeville entertainer, he often appeared in states and cities with strict child labor laws. To get around these laws, he was billed as "Silent Sammy, the Dancing Midget", and conspiciously walked around backstage with a rubber cigar in his mouth and a woman on each arm. Died the same day as Jim Henson. Was given a gift, of a black sapphire ring, by Elvis Presley , who told him, "This is the biggest black star I've seen, so I'm giving it to the biggest black star I know." Filmed a cameo appearance for the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever (1971). The scene was ultimately cut, but can be seen in the DVD of the movie. He and the other members of the Rat Pack were banned from Marilyn Monroe's funeral by Joe DiMaggio Was an acquaintance of Ron Perlman. According to the "Fastest Gun Who Ever Lived," Bob Munden, Davis was the second-fastest draw in Hollywood, trailing only Jerry Lewis. Davis presented Munden with a customized Colt Peacemaker in recognition of Munden's skill after they appeared together on "The Mike Douglas Show" (1961). Despite being 64 at the time of his death, he was survived by his mother Elvera Sanchez (1905-2000) and his grandmother, Elvera's mother Luisa (who died in 1996 at 112). Portrayed by Don Cheadle in The Rat Pack (1998) (TV). Cheadle went on to appear in the remake, Ocean's Eleven (2001). When he married Swedish actress May Britt in 1960, unions between whites and non-whites were still banned in 30 US-states. Shortly before his death surgeons removed his voice box in a larengectomy, but the cancer had spread. Inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2005. After John Wayne left the stage, during the 1979 Academy Awards ceremony, he was greeted by his old pal Sammy Davis Jr., who gave him a big bear hug. Davis later told a friend he regretted hugging Wayne so hard in his fragile condition. But Davis was told: "Duke wouldn't have missed that hug for anything." The idea of a 125 pound Sammy Davis Jr. worrying about hugging him "too hard" was a sad commentary on John Wayne's failing health. His daughter, Tracey Hillevi Davis, was born July 5, 1961. She was named after Spencer Tracy, an actor whom Davis Jr. admired. His third child was named Jeff, named after actor Jeff Chandler, and born in 1963. Davis Jr. adopted him with wife Britt. Daughter Tracey was enraged when she found out Davis Jr. adopted his youngest son Manny because: she found out about it on national television instead of from her father; her father didn't spend enough time with the three children he already had; and her father's wife was an alcoholic. In 1956, he starred on Broadway in 400 performances of "Mr. Wonderful". His 8 Billboard Top 20 Pop hits, now standards, are "The Candy Man" (#1 1972), "Somethings Gotta Give"(#9 1955),"I've Gotta Be Me " (#11 1968), "Love Me Or Leave Me" (#12 1955 )," That Old Black Magic"(#13 1955 ),Hey There" (#16 1954),"What Kind Of Fool Am I" (#17 1962) and "The Shelter Of Your Arms" (#17 1963).