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
Acting (100 movies)
Ocean's Eleven
1960
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
1985
Porgy and Bess
1959
The Movie Orgy
1968
Soul of a Nation Presents: Black in Vegas
2023
The Cannonball Run
1981
Cannonball Run II
1984
One More Time
1970
Salt & Pepper
1968
Kim Novak: Hollywood's Golden Age Rebel
2023
Dean Martin: King of Cool
2021
Christmas with The Martins and The Sinatras
1967
That's Dancing!
1985
Sweet Charity
1969
Tap
1989
Elvis: That's the Way It Is
1970
Sergeants 3
1962
Robin and the 7 Hoods
1964
Pepe
1960
Johnny Cool
1963
Convicts 4
1962
Heidi's Song
1982
Frank, Liza & Sammy: The Ultimate Event
1989
The Legendary Nat King Cole
2004
The Wrecking Crew
2008
Nightmare in the Sun
1965
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
1988
Rufus Jones for President
1933
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
1982
Anna Lucasta
1958
Save the Children
1973
The Trackers
1971
The Pigeon
1969
The Ocean's 11 Story
2001
An Evening with Sammy Davis, Jr. & Jerry Lewis
1988
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
1988
Live and Swingin': The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection
2003
A Man Called Adam
1966
The Threepenny Opera
1963
This Is Elvis
1981
The Rat Pack
2004
Smorgasbord
1983
The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years
2002
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
1970
Gone with the West
1975
Rat Pack
2022
Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin
1978
This Is Joan Collins
2022
CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years
1976
Uptown Comedy Express
1987
The Kid Who Loved Christmas
1990
Sweet and Low
1947
Let's Play, Boy
2008
Moon Over Parador
1988
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
2022
…Sings Musicals
2012
Gone Before His Time: Freddie Prinze Sr.
2023
Hanna-Barbera's 50th
1989
Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia
2023
Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?
1966
BRATS
2024
Meet Me in Las Vegas
1956
Poor Devil
1973
The Fall
1969
Fight of the Century
1971
The Music According to Tom Jobim
2012
The Strolling '20s
1966
Sammy Stops the World
1978
Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me
2017
Movin' with Nancy
1967
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004
James Dean: The First American Teenager
1975
This Is Bob Hope...
2017
Jazz Ball
1956
Doris Day Today
1975
James Dean Remembered
1974
The Ratpack
2006
Frank Sinatra's Welcome Home Party for Elvis Presley
1960
The Rat Pack - The Greatest Hits
2012
The Enemy
1967
It's Black Entertainment
2002
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
2015
The Perils of P.K
1986
Old Faithful
1973
Sammy Davis Jr.: Live In Germany
1985
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1
2001
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 2
2001
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
1979
Frank Sinatra Spectacular
1965
John Travolta, le miraculé d'Hollywood
2017
Night of 100 Stars
1982
Jackpot at Tahoe
1963
Elvis Through the Years
2007
Six Bridges to Cross
1955
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987
Bomb Disposal
1963
Pioneers of Primetime
2005
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
2025
Magic Night
1980
Dean Martin: The One and Only
2004
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Salt & Pepper | 1968 | Executive Producer |
| One More Time | 1970 | Executive Producer |
| The Trackers | 1971 | Producer |