Sammy Davis, Jr.

Musician, Celebrity

1925 – 1990

 Credit ยป
59

Who was Sammy Davis, Jr.?

Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. was an American entertainer. Primarily a dancer and singer, he was also an actor of stage and screen, musician, and impressionist, noted for his impersonations of actors, musicians and other celebrities. At the age of three Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father and Will Mastin as the Will Mastin Trio, which toured nationally. After military service Davis returned to the trio. Davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a recording artist. In 1954, he lost his left eye in an automobile accident, and several years later, he converted to Judaism.

Davis' film career began as a child in 1933. In 1960, he appeared in the first Rat Pack film, 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' career slowed in the late 1960s, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man" in 1972 and became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname "Mister Show Business".

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Born
Dec 8, 1925
Harlem
Also known as
  • Sammy Davis Jnr
  • Samuel George Davis, Jr.
  • Samuel George Davis Jr.
  • Davis, Sammy, Jr.
  • Samuel George Davis
  • Sammy Davis
  • Will Mastin Trio
  • Will Maston Trio
  • Smoky
  • Mister Show Business
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Judaism
Ethnicity
  • African American
  • History of the Jews in the African diaspora
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Lived in
  • Manhattan
Died
May 16, 1990
Beverly Hills
Resting place
Forest Lawn Memorial Park

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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