Sammy Davis Jr.
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
177
Gender
Male
Birthday
1925-12-08
Day of death
1990-05-16 (64 years old)
Place of Birth
Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
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 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
Known For
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
4-3-2-1 Hot and Sweet
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
Batman
Wogan
The Cosby Show
The Rifleman
I Dream of Jeannie
The Merv Griffin Show
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Champs-Elysées
The Carol Burnett Show
Hunter
The Dick Cavett Show
Dinah!
Burke's Law
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Ben Casey
What's My Line?
All in the Family
The Steve Allen Show
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1
The Oscars
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 2
The Colgate Comedy Hour
77 Sunset Strip
The Jack Benny Program
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Here's Lucy
The Kennedy Center Honors
The Mod Squad
The Patty Duke Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Soul of a Nation Presents: Black in Vegas
Cain's Hundred
Christmas with The Martins and The Sinatras
Kim Novak: Hollywood's Golden Age Rebel
Ocean's Eleven
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
Old Faithful
The Flip Wilson Show
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Salt & Pepper
Jazz Ball
V.I.P. Schaukel
Chico and the Man
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
The Threepenny Opera
All Star Party for Clint Eastwood
Smorgasbord
The Cannonball Run
The Hollywood Palace
Sergeants 3
Sweet Charity
…Sings Musicals
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
The Trackers
Johnny Cool
Alice in Wonderland
Moon Over Parador
Cannonball Run II
Rat Pack
Bomb Disposal
Please Turn the Page
Pepe
Seasoned Greetings
Anna Lucasta
The Billy Martin Celebrity Roast
John Travolta, le miraculé d'Hollywood
BRATS
The Emmy Awards
Robin and the 7 Hoods
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Meet Me in Las Vegas
Sanford
Hanna-Barbera's 50th
The Ratpack
Save the Children
Gone Before His Time: Freddie Prinze Sr.
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Elvis: That's the Way It Is
Poor Devil
The Julie Andrews Hour
A Man Called Adam
That's Dancing!
The Day of the Fox
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Six Bridges to Cross
Heidi's Song
Tap
Night of 100 Stars
The Ocean's 11 Story
Porgy and Bess
Sammy Stops the World
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
One More Time
Bio’s Bahnhof
This Is Elvis
Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration
The Wrecking Crew
The Sixties
Movin' with Nancy
Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia
This Is Bob Hope...
Frank Sinatra Spectacular
The Big Party
The Kid Who Loved Christmas
Convicts 4
Gone with the West
Dean Martin: King of Cool
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
This Is Joan Collins
Nightmare in the Sun
Sweet and Low
CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years
The Rat Pack - The Greatest Hits
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
All Star Party for Lucille Ball
Rufus Jones for President
Frank Sinatra's Welcome Home Party for Elvis Presley
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater
Nat King Cole & Friends Unforgettable Hits
The Movie Orgy
Fight of the Century
The Rat Pack
Today: While You Were Away (1964-1973 Retrospective)
James Dean Remembered
Playboy's Penthouse
Television: The First Fifty Years
Live and Swingin': The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection
Bob Hope's Bicentennial Star Spangled Spectacular
Frank, Liza & Sammy: The Ultimate Event
Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me
The Pigeon
Jingle Bells: RFK - 1964
James Dean: The First American Teenager
The Rat Pack
Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?
Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin
Happy Birthday, Las Vegas
The Strolling '20s
Magic Night
The Fall
Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time
It's Black Entertainment
Pioneers of Primetime
The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years
Sammy and Company
The Perils of P.K
The Enemy
The 1974 Annual Las Vegas Entertainment Awards
Let's Play, Boy
Cinderella at the Palace
Elvis Through the Years
Uptown Comedy Express
The Sammy Davis Jr. Show
Doris Day Today
The Music According to Tom Jobim
The Legendary Nat King Cole
Dean Martin: The One and Only
An Evening with Sammy Davis, Jr. & Jerry Lewis
Sammy and Bruce
Sammy Davis Jr.: Live In Germany
Sammy Davis Jr. in Europa
The Best Of Sammy David Jr. Live
Jackpot at Tahoe
Sammy Davis, Jr.: One Cool Cat
