Samuel George Davis Jr (1925 - 1990)

Born 8 Dec 1925 in Harlem, New York County (Manhattan), New York, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Altovise Joanne (Gore) Davis — married 11 May 1970 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Died 16 May 1990 at age 64 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Sammy Davis Jr is Notable.

Sammy Davis Jr was awarded the Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievement by an African American.

Sammy Davis Jr. was an American singer tap dancer, actor, pianist, drummer and comedian. He was part of the Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, with whom he starred in several films.^[1]

Samuel George Davis, known as Sammy Davis Jr., was born in Harlem, New York on December 8th, 1925. He was the son of Samuel Davis and Elvera Sanchez, who were both vaudevillians. For the first few years of his life, he was raised by his paternal grandmother Rosa (Taylor) Davis while his parents were on tour. When he was three, his mother left the family and he joined his father on tour on the Orpheum Circuit with Will Mastin.^[2][3][4]

Pvt Sammy Davis Jr served in the United States Army in World War II
Service started: 19 Aug 1944
Unit(s):
Service ended: 1 Jun 1945

After completing his military service, Sammy worked with his father's group "The Will Mastin Trio" and began gaining prominence as a solo entertainer, singer, and actor. Two of his best known performances were a starring role in Mr. Wonderful on Broadway and the Rat Pack movie Ocean's 11.^[2] He received numerous awards including:^[1]

• NAACP awarded Davis the Spingarn Medal (1968) and the NAACP Image Award (1989)
• Davis was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987.
• In 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Las Vegas Walk of Stars inducted Davis with a star at the front of Riviera Hotel in 2006.
• He was inducted in 2008 by the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site (now Park) into their International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.
• In 2017 he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame for being the Greatest Entertainer in the World.

Sammy married Loray White on January 10th, 1958 in Las Vegas. They separated in March 1958 and were divorced in 1959.^[6][7]

In 1960, Sammy married Swedish actress May Britt. They had a daughter, Tracy, and adopted two sons, Mark and Jeff. They divorced in 1968.^[8]

Sammy's third wife was dancer Altovise Gore. They married in the Philadelphia City Hall in May 1970.^[9] They adopted a son, Manny Davis, in 1989.^[10]

Sammy died of throat cancer on May 16th, 1990 at his home in Los Angeles. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.^[2][4][11]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Davis_Jr.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Peter B. Flint, "Sammy Davis Jr. Dies at 64; Top Showman Broke Barriers," The New York TImes, 17 May 1990, section A, page 1; digital version at https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/17/obituaries/sammy-davis-jr-dies-at-64-top-showman-broke-barriers.html : accessed 11 Feb 2023.
3. ↑ "U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947," Sammy Davis Jr, born 8 Dec 1925 in New York City, registered 8 Dec 1943 with Local Board #57 in New York City; "U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947," database with images, Ancestry, Ancestry Sharing Link, (Ancestry Record 2238 #194302320 : accessed 11 February 2023.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007," database, Ancestry, Sammy Davis, born 8 Dec 1926, died May 1990.
5. ↑ "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010," database, Ancestry, S. Davis, born 2 Dec 1925, died 16 May 1990, Ancestry Record 2441 #14049092 : accessed 11 February 2023.
6. ↑ '"Nevada, U.S., Marriage Index, 1956-2005," database with images, Ancestry, Sammy Davis Jr and Loray White, 10 Jan 1958, Clark County, Ancestry Sharing Link, Ancestry Record 1100 #8908724 : accessed 11 February 2023); citing Page F13.
7. ↑ "2 1/2 Month Marriage Costs Singer $44,000," The Boston Evening Globe, 4 Mar 1959, pages 1 and 10; image copy, Newspapers.com (page 1 and page 10 : accessed 11 Feb 2023).
8. ↑ May Britt-Sammy Davis Jr divorce notice, The Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec 1968, page 2 part I, columns 5-6; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118431867/ : accessed 11 Feb 2023).
9. ↑ "Sammy Davis Jr. Weds Show Dancer," Courier-Post [Camden, New Jersey], 12 May 1970, page 13; image copy, Newspapers.com, (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118433857/ : accessed 11 Feb 2023).
10. ↑ Claire Noland, "Dancer was the widow of entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr.," The Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar 2009, page A41; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118434853/ : accessed 11 Feb 2023).
11. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/263/sammy-davis : accessed 12 July 2022), memorial page for Sammy Davis Jr. (8 Dec 1925–16 May 1990), Find A Grave: Memorial #263 , citing Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.

• "United States Census, 1950," ED 31-1844, New York, New York, USA; sheet 11, dwelling 95, Sammie Davis Jr. in B. Rosa Davis household; FamilySearch, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XPH-JK4P.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q297816

He was also great friends with James Dean.thats what i heard