HWOF

Sammy Davis Jr. in 1989

Source: Freebase

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, and became internationally famous for his performances on Broadway and Las Vegas, as a recording artist, television and film star, and the only black 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 well received nightclub performance at Ciro’s after the 1951 Academy Awards, with the trio, became an recording artist, and made his first film performances later that decade. Losing his left eye in a car accident in 1954, he converted to Judaism and appeared in the first Rat Pack movie, “Ocean’s Eleven” in 1960. After a starring role on Broadway in 1956’s “Mr Wonderful”, Davis returned to the stage in 1964’s “Golden Boy”. Davis’s career slowed in the late sixties, but he scored a hit record with “The Candy Man”, in 1972, and became a star attraction in Las Vegas. In 1966 he had own TV Variety show called the Sammy Davis Jr. Show.

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.

Read more about Sammy Davis Jr. at Wikipedia or at the Internet Movie Database

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Hollywood Reporter, 2012-02-28 00:37:52
Todd Gilchrist Oscar host Billy Crystal drew criticism after revisiting an even older bit in which he impersonates Sammy Davis Jr., prompting claims that his “blackface” performance was offensive and racist.read more

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CBS Entertainment Ne, 2012-02-27 15:52:21
Comedian's impersonation of Sammy Davis Jr. draws some sour notes on Twitter

Host Billy Crystal's opening montage featured the bizarre inclusion of his Sammy Davis Jr. character, featuring Crystal in blackface.
MSNBC Entertainment, 2012-02-27 15:01:02
Host Billy Crystal's opening montage featured the bizarre inclusion of his Sammy Davis Jr. character, featuring Crystal in blackface.