Known For
Acting
Born
Dec 08, 1925
Died
May 16, 1990
Place of Birth
Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Credits
186 titles
Sammy Davis Jr.
Biography
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 four 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.
Known For
Filmography
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert
Self (archive footage)
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
BRATS
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gone Before His Time: Freddie Prinze Sr.
Self (archive footage)
Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia
Self
Kim Novak: Hollywood's Golden Age Rebel
Self (archive footage)
Commitment to Life
Self (archive footage)
Soul of a Nation Presents: Black in Vegas
Self
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Self (archive footage)
Rat Pack
Self (archive footage)
This Is Joan Collins
Self (Archive Footage)
Dean Martin: King of Cool
Self (archive footage)
This Is Bob Hope...
Self (archive footage)
Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me
Self (archive footage)
The Fabulous Allan Carr
Self (archive)
John Travolta, le miraculé d'Hollywood
Self - Singer (archive footage)
Mansfield 66/67
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
Self (archive footage)
The Sixties
Self (archive footage)
The Rat Pack - The Greatest Hits
Self (archive footage)
The Music According to Tom Jobim
Self (archive footage)
…Sings Musicals
Self (archive footage)
Let's Play, Boy
himself (archive footage)
The Wrecking Crew
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Elvis Through the Years
Self (archive footage)
The Ratpack
Self
Pioneers of Primetime
The Legendary Nat King Cole
Self
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
Self (archive footage)
Dean Martin: The One and Only
Self (archive footage)
Sammy Davis, Jr.: One Cool Cat
The Rat Pack
Self (archive footage)
Live and Swingin': The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection
Self (archive footage)
The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years
Self (archive footage)
It's Black Entertainment
Self (archive footage)
The Ocean's 11 Story
Self (archive footage)
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1
Self (archive footage)
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 2
Self (archive footage)
The Rat Pack
(archive footage)
Television: The First Fifty Years
Self (archive footage)
Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time
Self (archive footage)
The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show (Vol. 1)
The Kid Who Loved Christmas
Sideman
Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration
Self
Hanna-Barbera's 50th
Self
Frank, Liza & Sammy: The Ultimate Event
Self
Tap
Little Mo
The Billy Martin Celebrity Roast
Self
An Evening with Sammy Davis, Jr. & Jerry Lewis
Self
Moon Over Parador
Self