Sammy Davis Jr.

Sammy Davis Jr. was born on Dec 08, 1925 in USA. Sammy Davis Jr.'s big-screen debut came with Seasoned Greetings directed by Roy Mack in 1933, strarring Henry Johnson (as Sammy Davis). Sammy Davis Jr. is known for Broadway Danny Rose directed by Woody Allen, Woody Allen stars as Danny Rose and Mia Farrow as Tina Vitale. Sammy Davis Jr. has got 6 awards and 14 nominations so far. The most recent award Sammy Davis Jr. achieved is Grammy Awards. The upcoming new movie Sammy Davis Jr. plays is The Kid Who Loved Christmas which will be released on Dec 14, 1990.

Sammy Davis Jr. was often billed as the "greatest living entertainer in the world".He was born in Harlem, Manhattan, the son of dancer Elvera Davis (née Sanchez) and vaudeville star Sammy Davis Sr.. His father was African-American and his mother was of Cuban and African-American ancestry. Davis Jr. 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?" (he had converted to Judaism).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. 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.