Sammy Davis Jr.

Despite being 64 at the time of his death, he was survived by his mother Elvera Sanchez (1905-2000) and his grandmother, Elvera's mother Luisa (who died in 1995 at 112).

Sammy Davis Jr. was often billed as the "greatest living entertainer in the world". He was born in Harlem, Manhattan, the son of dancer Elvera Davis (née Sanchez) and vaudeville star Sammy Davis Sr. . His father was African-American and his mother was of Cuban and African-American ancestry. Davis Jr. was known as someone who could do it all, sing, dance, play instruments, act, do stand-up and he was known for his self-deprecating humor; he once heard someone complaining about discrimination, and he said, "You got it easy. I'm a short, ugly, one-eyed, black Jew. What do you think it's like for me?" (he had converted to Judaism). A short stint in the army opened his eyes to the evils of racism. A slight man, he was often beaten up by bigger white soldiers and given the dirtiest and most dangerous assignments by white officers simply because he was black. He helped break down racial barriers in show business in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in Las Vegas, where he often performed; when he started there in the early 1950s, he was not allowed to stay in the hotels he played in, as they refused to take blacks as customers.

He lost his left eye in a car crash when he was on his way to record the theme song for the Tony Curtis film, Six Bridges to Cross (1955). He wore an eyepatch for sometime after that, but Humphrey Bogart ultimately convinced him to unmask when he told him that he didn't want to be known as the kid with the eyepatch.

In 1956, he starred on Broadway in 400 performances of "Mr. Wonderful".

Was originally cast in Never So Few (1959) until a feud broke out between him and Frank Sinatra after Sammy had claimed in a radio interview that he was a greater singer than Frank. Frank demanded he be dropped from the cast, and was replaced with Steve McQueen.

He also stirred up a large amount of controversy in the 1960s by openly dating, and ultimately marrying, blonde, blue-eyed, Swedish-born actress May Britt.

According to the "Fastest Gun Who Ever Lived", Bob Munden, Davis was the second-fastest draw in Hollywood, trailing only Jerry Lewis. Davis presented Munden with a customized Colt Peacemaker in recognition of Munden's skill after they appeared together on The Mike Douglas Show (1961).

Had a daughter, Tracey Davis, with his second wife, May. He and May also had two adopted sons: Mark Sidney (born 1960, adopted on June 4, 1963), and Jeff (born 1963). Jeff was named after an actor, Jeff Chandler. He also adopted a son, Manny Davis (born 1978, adopted 1989), with his third wife, Altovise.

Starred in the 1964 Broadway musical "Golden Boy" for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor (Musical) in 1965. He lost to Zero Mostel for "Fiddler on the Roof". "Golden Boy" also featured many then unknown or relatively unknown talents such as Roy Glenn, who later portrayed the father of John Prentice/Sidney Poitier in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). Other talents included then very young performers Lola Falana, Louis Gossett Jr., who later won an Oscar for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), and Johnny Brown who is best remembered for his portrayal of Nathan "Buffalo Butt" Bookman on the popular sitcom Good Times (1974). A then unknown performer named Ben Vereen was Davis' understudy in "Golden Boy".

TV composer Morton Stevens (Hawaii Five-O (1968), Police Woman (1974)) was Davis' musical director between 1950 and 1960 before moving into television music composing. He then returned as music director for Sammy, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Liza Minnelli in the late 1980s.

He was a regular at many of Elvis Presley's concerts in Las Vegas. He appeared in the audience and backstage in the documentary Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970).

Filmed a cameo appearance for the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever (1971). The scene was ultimately deleted, but can be seen in the DVD version of the movie.

Campaigned for Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential election.

After John Wayne left the stage, during the 1979 Academy Awards ceremony, he was greeted by his old pal Sammy Davis Jr., who gave him a big bear hug. Davis later told a friend he regretted hugging Wayne so hard in his fragile condition. But Davis was told: "Duke wouldn't have missed that hug for anything." The idea of a 125 pound Sammy Davis Jr. worrying about hugging him "too hard" was a sad commentary on John Wayne's failing health.

Was friends with Ron Perlman. They met at the Golden Globe Awards in the late 1980s, apparently Davis was a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast (1987) and had seen every single episode.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 235-237. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1999).

Was the childhood idol of director Tim Burton, who wanted to cast him as the title character in Beetlejuice (1988), but Warner Bros. ultimately refused.

Announced he had overcome alcoholism and an addiction to cocaine (1989).

Longtime friend Bill Cosby wore a small button with the letters "SD" on episodes of The Cosby Show (1984) after his death on May 16, 1990 as a tribute.

Posthumously inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame (2005).