Samuel George Davis Jr. was an American singer, dancer, actor and comedian. He was noted for his impressions of actors, musicians and other celebrities.
Background
Samuel George Davis Jr. was born on December 8, 1925 in New York City, New York to Sammy Davis Sr. and Elvera Sanchez. He was their only child. Both his parents were vaudeville performers. His parents separated when he was three and his father gained custody of him.
His father worked for a dance troupe led by Will Mastin and Sammy joined them as a child artist. The three of them performed together as the Will Mastin Trio.
He enlisted in the U. S. Army during the World War II. There he experienced racial discrimination for the first time in his life.
Career
While he was serving in the army he was assigned to the entertainment branch Special Services unit. Through his talent and performance he could earn the admiration of even the most prejudiced white men.
He rejoined the Will Mastin trio after his discharge from the army and also began giving solo performances which earned his acclaim.
In 1954, he was chosen to sing the title track for the film ‘Six bridges to Cross’. The song had been written by his friend Jeff Chandler and gave him his first exposure to Hollywood.
He released his debut album ‘Starring Sammy Davis, Jr’ in 1955. His other albums over the next few years included ‘Boy Meets Girl’ (1957) and ‘Mood to Be Wooed’ (1958).
He made his theatrical debut in 1957 with the Broadway musical ‘Mr. Wonderful’ which was created specifically to showcase his talents to the world.
He starred as Danny Johnson in the 1959 movie ‘Anna Lucasta’ which had Eartha Kitt and Henry Scott also.
He became good friends with Frank Sinatra who invited him to join the famous Rat Pack which also included Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.
His first movie with the Rat Pack, ‘Ocean’s 11’ was released in 1960 in which he portrayed the character of Josh Howard, a garbage truck driver.
More movie offers followed and he did ‘Sergeants 3’ in 1962 and ‘Robin and the 7 Hoods’ in 1964, both movies again with the Rat Pack stars. The Rat Pack also performed together in several stage productions.
He was a regular performer at The Frontier Casino in Las Vegas, but even his popularity could not save him from racial discrimination; he was not allowed to stay there because he was black. Hurt by such insensitivity, he refused to perform at venues which practiced racism.
During the 1960s, he enjoyed a very successful musical career which saw the release of several albums like ‘As Long as She Needs Me’ (1963), ‘California Suite’ (1964), ‘That’s All!’ (1966) and ‘Lonely Is the Name’ (1968).
The decade of 1960s was a good one for his film career also. He got the chance to play major roles in films like ‘A Man called Adam’ (1966), ‘Salt and Pepper’ (1968) and ‘Sweet Charity’ (1969).
His album ‘Sammy Davis, Jr. Now’ was released in 1972. It spawned the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit ‘The Candy Man’ which went on to become Davis’s most famous song.
His music career began faltering in the 1970s and even his acting career was not very successful. ‘Gone with the West’ (1975) and ‘Sammy Stops the World’ (1978) were among his few works.
With his musical career virtually over, he focused on his acting during the 1980s. He played small roles in movies like ‘The Cannonball Run’ (1981), ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (1985) and ‘Tap’ (1989).
In addition to his career in music, films and stage, he had also made numerous appearances on television primarily as a guest star.
Davis, who was born to a Catholic mother and Protestant father, began studying the history of Jews. He converted to Judaism several years later in 1961. One passage from his readings (from the book A History of The Jews by Abram L. Sachar), describing the endurance of the Jewish people, interested him in particular: "The Jews would not die. Three millennia of prophetic teaching had given them an unwavering spirit of resignation and had created in them a will to live which no disaster could crush. "
Politics
Davis was a registered Democrat and supported John F. Kennedy's 1960 election campaign as well as Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 campaign. However, he became a close friend of President Richard Nixon and publicly endorsed him at the 1972 Republican National Convention. Davis also made a USO tour to South Vietnam at Nixon's request. Previously, Davis had won Nixon's respect with his participation in the Civil Rights Movement.
Nixon invited Davis and his wife, Altovise, to sleep in the White House in 1973, the first time African-Americans were invited to do so. The Davises spent the night in the Queens' Bedroom. Davis later said he regretted supporting Nixon, accusing Nixon of making promises on civil rights that he did not keep. Davis was a long-time donor to the Reverend Jesse Jackson's Operation PUSH organization.
Views
Quotations:
"What have I got? No looks, no money, no education. Just talent. "
"You have to be able to look back at your life and say, "Yeah, that was fun. "
"My mother was born in San Juan. So I'm Puerto Rican, Jewish, colored and married to a white woman. When I move into a neighborhood, people start running four ways at the same time. "
"You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear. "
"If you want to be the best, baby, you've got to work harder than anybody else. "
"Wishing, hoping and regretting are the most common and dangerous tactics for evading the present. "
"If you want to get known as a singer you hire five sexy chicks and let them fight over you onstage and for the cameras. That's publicity, man. "
Personality
He was involved in a near-fatal automobile accident in 1954 in which he lost one eye. He later got fitted a glass eye.
Interests
He was an avid photographer.
He was a skilled gun spinner who had appeared on television talents shows showcasing this talent.
Connections
Davis's quick, brief marriage to black dancer Loray White in 1958 was an attempt to quiet the controversy.
He married white actress May Britt in 1960 when interracial marriages were a topic of controversy. They had one biological daughter and adopted two sons before divorcing in 1968.
His second marriage was to dancer Altovise Gore in 1970. The couple had one adopted son.