Sammy Davis Jr.
Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, musician, comedian and dancer. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and The Will Mastin Trio, which toured nationally, and his film career began in 1933. After military service, Davis returned to the trio and became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's (in West Hollywood) after the 1951 Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a recording artist. In 1954, at the age of 29, he lost his left eye in a car accident. Several years later, he converted to Judaism, finding commonalities between the oppression experienced both by black Americans and Jewish communities. In 1958, he faced a backlash for his involvement with a white woman at a time when interracial relationships were taboo in the U.S. and where interracial marriage was not legalized nationwide until 1967. Davis had a starring role on Broadway in Mr. Wonderful with Chita Rivera (1956). In 1960, he appeared in the Rat Pack film Ocean's 11. He returned to the stage in 1964 in a musical adaptation of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy. Davis was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance. The show featured the first interracial kiss on Broadway. In 1966, he had his own TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. While Davis's career slowed in the late 1960s, his biggest hit, "The Candy Man", reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1972, and he became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname "Mister Show Business". Davis's popularity helped break the race barrier of the segregated entertainment industry. He did, however, have a complex relationship with the black community and drew criticism after publicly supporting President Richard Nixon in 1972. 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 who's Jewish." This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography and in many articles. After reuniting with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Davis toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before his death in 1990. He died in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles after the death of his wife. His final album was a Country Music Album, a departure from his usual musical style. Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2017, Davis was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
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References
Title | Summary | |
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Mr. Bojangles | ... The song was also recorded by Sammy Davis Jr. and the ... |
Connection Chains
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Michael Hausman in 14 Steps
- From Allie Wrubel to Sammy Davis Jr. in 14 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Astrud Gilberto in 12 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to That 70s Show in 12 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Donald Frost in 10 Steps
- From Jim Bonfanti to Sammy Davis Jr. in 10 Steps
- From Gene Cipriano to Sammy Davis Jr. in 10 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to She's Leaving Home in 10 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to April 29 in 9 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to The Puppy Song in 9 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Brothers Four in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Collage in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Everybody Loves to Eat in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Freckles in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Howard Bendetson in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Julian Lennon in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to June 6 in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Peter Yarrow in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Rebecca De Mornay in 8 Steps
- From The Simpsons to Sammy Davis Jr. in 8 Steps
- From A Star Is Bought to Sammy Davis Jr. in 8 Steps
- From Clifford T. Ward to Sammy Davis Jr. in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to The Incredible Hulk in 8 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to Eddie Cantor in 7 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to July 7 in 7 Steps
- From Sammy Davis Jr. to May 24 in 7 Steps
Connections
- Mr. Bojangles was recorded by Sammy Davis Jr.
- Sammy Davis Jr. recorded Mr. Bojangles
- Sammy Davis Jr. appeared in an episode of The Courtship of Eddie's Father