From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American entertainer. Primarily a dancer and singer, Davis was a childhood vaudevillian who became known for his performances on Broadway and in Las Vegas, as a recording artist, television and film star, and as a member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack". At the age of three Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father and "uncle" as the Will Mastin Trio, toured nationally, and after military service, returned to the trio. Davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards, with the trio, became a recording artist, and made his first film performances as an adult later that decade. In 1954, he lost his left eye in an automobile accident. Later the same year, he converted to Judaism. In 1960, he appeared in the first Rat Pack movie, Ocean's 11. After a starring role on Broadway in 1956's Mr Wonderful, Davis returned to the stage in 1964's Golden Boy, and in 1966 had his own TV variety show, The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. Davis's career slowed in the late sixties, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man", in 1972, and became a star in Las Vegas. As an African American, Davis was the victim of racism throughout his life, and was a large financial supporter of civil rights causes. Davis had a complex relationship with the African American community, and attracted criticism after physically embracing Richard Nixon in 1970. One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. "Handicap?" he asked. "Talk about handicap — I'm a one-eyed Negro Jew." This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography, and in countless articles. After reuniting with Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Davis toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before dying of throat cancer in 1990. He died in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles. Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sammy Davis, Jr., licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Movie | BRATS | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2024-06-07 |
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Movie | The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years | Self (archive footage) | 2002-03-31 |
Movie | The Kid Who Loved Christmas | Sideman | 1990-12-14 |
Movie | Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration | Self | 1990-02-04 |
Movie | Tap | Little Mo | 1989-02-12 |
Movie | The Ultimate Event | Self | 1989-05-20 |
Movie | Hanna-Barbera's 50th | Self | 1989-07-17 |
Movie | Moon Over Parador | Self | 1988-09-09 |
Movie | The Perils of P.K | 1986-06-06 | |
Movie | That's Dancing! | Self - Host | 1985-01-18 |
Movie | Cannonball Run II | Fenderbaum | 1984-06-29 |
Series | Hunter | Unknown | 1984-09-18 |
Movie | Smorgasbord | Himself | 1983-04-13 |
Movie | Koyaanisqatsi | Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-04-27 |
Movie | Night of 100 Stars | Self | 1982-03-08 |
Movie | Heidi's Song | Head Ratte (voice) | 1982-11-19 |
Series | Wogan | Himself | 1982-05-04 |
Movie | This Is Elvis | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1981-04-03 |
Movie | The Cannonball Run | Fenderbaum | 1981-06-19 |
Movie | Sammy Stops the World | Littlechap | 1978-01-01 |
Series | The Kennedy Center Honors | Unknown | 1978-12-28 |
Movie | Happy Birthday, Las Vegas | 1977-10-23 | |
Movie | Gone with the West | Kid Dandy | 1975-09-01 |
Movie | James Dean: The First American Teenager | Self | 1975-09-30 |
Series | Chico and the Man | Unknown | 1974-09-13 |
Movie | Poor Devil | Sammy | 1973-02-14 |
Movie | Save the Children | Self | 1973-05-13 |
Series | All in the Family | Unknown | 1971-01-12 |
Movie | The Trackers | Ezekiel Smith | 1971-12-15 |
Movie | One More Time | Charles Salt | 1970-05-01 |
Movie | King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis | Self (archive footage) | 1970-03-24 |
Series | The Flip Wilson Show | Unknown | 1970-09-17 |
Movie | Elvis: That's the Way It Is | Self | 1970-11-11 |
Movie | The Fall | 1969-01-15 | |
Movie | The Pigeon | Larry Miller | 1969-11-04 |
Movie | Sweet Charity | Big Daddy | 1969-02-25 |
Movie | The Movie Orgy | Self (archive footage) | 1968-01-01 |
Movie | Salt & Pepper | Charles Salt | 1968-07-03 |
Series | The Mod Squad | Unknown | 1968-09-24 |
Series | Batman | Unknown | 1966-01-12 |
Movie | The Strolling '20s | Self | 1966-02-04 |
Movie | A Man Called Adam | Adam Johnson | 1966-03-16 |
Movie | Nightmare in the Sun | Truck driver | 1965-03-06 |
Series | I Dream of Jeannie | Unknown | 1965-09-18 |
Movie | Robin and the 7 Hoods | Will Scarlet | 1964-06-24 |
Series | The Hollywood Palace | Unknown | 1964-01-04 |
Movie | The Threepenny Opera | Moritatensänger | 1963-02-28 |
Movie | Johnny Cool | Educated | 1963-10-02 |
Series | Burke's Law | Unknown | 1963-09-20 |
Movie | Sergeants 3 | Jonah Williams | 1962-02-10 |
Movie | Convicts 4 | Wino | 1962-09-15 |
Series | Cain's Hundred | Unknown | 1961-09-19 |
Series | Ben Casey | Unknown | 1961-10-02 |
Movie | Ocean's Eleven | Josh Howard | 1960-08-10 |
Movie | Pepe | Sammy Davis Jr. | 1960-12-21 |
Movie | Porgy and Bess | Sportin' Life | 1959-06-24 |
Series | The Rifleman | Unknown | 1958-09-30 |
Movie | Anna Lucasta | Danny | 1958-11-01 |
Series | 77 Sunset Strip | Unknown | 1958-10-10 |
Movie | Meet Me in Las Vegas | Sammy Davis Jr. (voice) (uncredited) | 1956-03-09 |
Series | The Steve Allen Show | Unknown | 1956-06-24 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Series | The Ed Sullivan Show | Unknown | 1948-06-20 |
Movie | Rufus Jones for President | Rufus Jones | 1933-09-09 |
Movie | Seasoned Greetings | Henry Johnson | 1933-09-23 |
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