Samuel George Davis Jr. (December , â€" May , ) was an American
singer, dancer, actor, vaudevillian and comedian who has been called
"the greatest entertainer ever to grace a stage in these United
States." At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his
father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which toured
nationally. After military service, he returned to the trio and became
an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's (in
West Hollywood) after the Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a
recording artist. In , at the age of , he lost his left eye in a car
accident. Several years later, he converted to Judaism, finding
commonalities between the oppression experienced by African-American
and Jewish communities.After a starring role on Broadway in Mr
Wonderful (), he returned to the stage in 's Golden Boy. Davis's film
career began as a child in . In , he appeared in the Rat Pack film
Ocean's . In , he had his own TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis
Jr. Show. While Davis's career slowed in the late s, his biggest hit,
"The Candy Man", reached the top of the Billboard Hot in June , and
he became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname "Mister Show
Business".Davis had a complex relationship with the black community
and drew criticism after publicly supporting President Richard Nixon
in . 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.
singer, dancer, actor, vaudevillian and comedian who has been called
"the greatest entertainer ever to grace a stage in these United
States." At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his
father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which toured
nationally. After military service, he returned to the trio and became
an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's (in
West Hollywood) after the Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a
recording artist. In , at the age of , he lost his left eye in a car
accident. Several years later, he converted to Judaism, finding
commonalities between the oppression experienced by African-American
and Jewish communities.After a starring role on Broadway in Mr
Wonderful (), he returned to the stage in 's Golden Boy. Davis's film
career began as a child in . In , he appeared in the Rat Pack film
Ocean's . In , he had his own TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis
Jr. Show. While Davis's career slowed in the late s, his biggest hit,
"The Candy Man", reached the top of the Billboard Hot in June , and
he became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname "Mister Show
Business".Davis had a complex relationship with the black community
and drew criticism after publicly supporting President Richard Nixon
in . 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.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.