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 who became known for his performances on Broadway and in Las Vegas, as a recording artist, television and film star, and as a member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack". At the age of four 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 nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards, with the trio, became a recording artist, and made his first film performances as an adult later that decade. In 1954, he lost his left eye in an automobile accident. Later the same year, he converted to Judaism. In 1960, he appeared in the first Rat Pack movie, Ocean's 11. After a starring role on Broadway in 1956's Mr Wonderful, Davis returned to the stage in 1964's Golden Boy, and in 1966 had his own TV variety show, The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. Davis's career slowed in the late sixties, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man", in 1972, and became a star in Las Vegas. As an African American, Davis was the victim of racism throughout his life, and was a large financial supporter of civil rights causes. Davis had a complex relationship with the African American community, and attracted criticism after physically embracing Richard Nixon in 1970. 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 Jew." This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography, and in countless articles. After reuniting with Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Davis toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before dying of throat cancer in 1990. He died in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles. 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.

Filmography

• 2017Mansfield 66/67
• 2013Loose Lips - Her Last Interview
• 2005Pioneers of Primetime
• 2004Sammy Davis, Jr.: One Cool Cat
• The Rat Pack — (archive footage)
• 1991The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show (Vol. 1)
• 1990The Kid Who Loved Christmas — Sideman
• 1989Tap — Little Mo
• 1987Uptown Comedy Express
• 1986The Perils of P.K
• Alice in Wonderland — Caterpillar / Father WIlliam
• 1985Dancing in the Wings — The Spirit
• 1985Motown Returns to the Apollo
• 1984Cannonball Run II — Fenderbaum
• Hunter — Benny Schafer
• The Cosby Show — Ray Palomino
• 1982Heidi's Song — Head Ratte (voice)
• 1982Playboy Video Magazine, Volume 1 — Thanks
• 1981The Cannonball Run — Fenderbaum
• Fantasy Island — Mr. Bojangles, Edward Ross Sr.
• 1978Sammy Stops the World — Littlechap
• 1977Happy Birthday, Las Vegas
• 1977Jingle Bells: RFK - 1964
• Charlie's Angels — Sammy Davis Jr. / Herbert Brubaker III
• 1975Gone with the West — Kid Dandy
• Chico and the Man
• 1973Old Faithful — Sammy Davis Jr.
• 1973Poor Devil — Sammy
• 1971The Trackers — Ezekiel Smith, Producer
• 1970One More Time — Charles Salt, Executive Producer
• 1969Sweet Charity — Big Daddy
• The Courtship of Eddie's Father — Rodney River Jr.
• 1969The Fall
• 1969The Pigeon — Larry Miller
• Here's Lucy — Sammy Davis Jr.
• 1968Salt & Pepper — Charles Salt, Executive Producer
• The Mod Squad
• Omnibus
• The Danny Thomas Hour — Chris Christiansen
• 1967The Enemy — Chris Christiansen
• 1966A Man Called Adam — Adam Johnson
• 1966Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? — The Cheshire Cat
• The Sammy Davis Jr. Show — Host
• I Dream of Jeannie — Sammy Davis Jr.
• 1965Licensed to Kill — Theme Song Performance
• 1965Nightmare in the Sun — Truck driver
• 1964Robin and the 7 Hoods — Will
• 1964The Disorderly Orderly — Theme Song Performance
• Burke's Law — Cordwainer Bird
• 1963Johnny Cool — Educated
• The Patty Duke Show
• 1963The Threepenny Opera — Moritatensänger
• 1962Convicts 4 — Wino
• 1962Sergeants 3 — Jonah Williams
• Ben Casey
• Cain's Hundred — Sammy Davis Jr.
• Drama 61-67 — Beppo
• 1961The Day of the Fox — Beppo
• 1960Ocean's Eleven — Josh Howard
• 1960Pepe — Sammy Davis Jr.
• 1959Porgy and Bess — Sportin' Life
• 77 Sunset Strip
• 1958Anna Lucasta — Danny
• The Rifleman
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre — Cpl. Smith
• 1956Meet Me in Las Vegas — Sammy Davis Jr. (voice) (uncredited)
• 1955Six Bridges to Cross — Uncredited
• General Electric Theater — Private Spider Johnson, Jacob Johnson, Pancho Villa III
• The Jack Benny Program — Sammy Davis Jr.
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
• 1933Rufus Jones for President — Rufus Jones
• 1933Seasoned Greetings — Henry Johnson

Appearances as themselves (120)

• 2026EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert — Self (archive footage)
• 2025Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2024BRATS — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2023Commitment to Life — Self (archive footage)
• 2023Gone Before His Time: Freddie Prinze Sr. — Self (archive footage)
• 2023Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia — Self
• 2023Kim Novak: Hollywood's Golden Age Rebel — Self (archive footage)
• 2023Soul of a Nation Presents: Black in Vegas — Self
• 2022Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues — Self (archive footage)
• 2022Rat Pack — Self (archive footage)
• 2022This Is Joan Collins — Self (Archive Footage)
• 2021Dean Martin: King of Cool — Self (archive footage)
• 2020Out of Shadows — Self (archive)
• 2017John Travolta, le miraculé d'Hollywood — Self - Singer (archive footage)
• 2017Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me — Self (archive footage)
• 2017The Fabulous Allan Carr — Self (archive footage)
• 2017This Is Bob Hope... — Self (archive footage)
• 2015Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do — Self (archive footage)
• The Sixties — Self (archive footage)
• 2012The Music According to Tom Jobim — Self (archive footage)
• 2012The Rat Pack - The Greatest Hits — Self (archive footage)
• 2012…Sings Musicals — Self (archive footage)
• 2008Let's Play, Boy — himself (archive footage)
• 2008The Wrecking Crew — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2007Elvis Through the Years — Self (archive footage)
• 2006The Ratpack — Self
• 2004Dean Martin: The One and Only — Self (archive footage)
• Parkinson — Self - Guest / Performer (archive footage)
• 2004TV in Black: The First Fifty Years — Self (archive footage)
• 2004The Legendary Nat King Cole — Self
• 2004The Rat Pack — Self (archive footage)
• 2003Live and Swingin': The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection — Self (archive footage)
• 2002It's Black Entertainment — Self (archive footage)
• 2002The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years — Self (archive footage)
• 2001The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1 — Self (archive footage)
• 2001The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 2 — Self (archive footage)
• 2001The Ocean's 11 Story — Self (archive footage)
• 1999Television: The First Fifty Years — Self (archive footage)
• 1992Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time — Self (archive footage)
• 1990Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration — Self
• 1989Frank, Liza & Sammy: The Ultimate Event — Self
• 1989Hanna-Barbera's 50th — Self
• 1989The Billy Martin Celebrity Roast — Self
• 1988An Evening with Sammy Davis, Jr. & Jerry Lewis — Self
• 1988Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC — Self
• 1988Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues — Self
• 1988Moon Over Parador — Self
• 1987Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood — Self
• 1986All Star Party for Clint Eastwood — Self
• 1985Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers — Self (archive footage)
• 1985Sammy Davis Jr.: Live In Germany — Himself - Main Artist
• 1985That's Dancing! — Self - Host
• 1984All Star Party for Lucille Ball — Self
• 1983Koyaanisqatsi — Self (archive footage)
• 1983Smorgasbord — Himself
• Champs-Elysées — Self
• 1982Night of 100 Stars — Self
• 1982Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! — Self (archive footage)
• Wogan — Self
• 1981This Is Elvis — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1980Magic Night — Self
• 1980Sammy and Bruce — Self
• Sanford — Self
• 1979Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years — Self
• Bio’s Bahnhof — Self
• 1978Cinderella at the Palace — Self
• 1978Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin — Self
• The Kennedy Center Honors — Self
• Please Turn the Page — Self
• 1976Bob Hope's Bicentennial Star Spangled Spectacular — Self
• 1976CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years — Self
• 1975Doris Day Today — Self
• 1975James Dean: The First American Teenager — Self
• People's Choice Awards — Self - Presenter
• Sammy and Company — Himself
• Dinah! — Self
• 1974James Dean Remembered — Self
• 1974The 1974 Annual Las Vegas Entertainment Awards — Self - Presenter
• 1973Save the Children — Self
• The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts — Self
• 1973Today: While You Were Away (1964-1973 Retrospective) — Self
• The Julie Andrews Hour — Self
• All in the Family — Self
• 1971Fight of the Century — Self-(Audience Member)
• Great Performances — Self (archive footage)
• V.I.P. Schaukel — Self
• 1970Elvis: That's the Way It Is — Self (uncredited)
• 1970King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis — Self (archive footage)
• The Flip Wilson Show — Self
• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In — Self, Self (uncredited)
• 1968Sammy Davis Jr. in Europa — Self
• The Dick Cavett Show — Self - Guest
• 1968The Movie Orgy — Self (archive footage)
• 1967Christmas with The Martins and The Sinatras — Self
• 1967Movin' with Nancy — Self
• The Carol Burnett Show — Self
• 4-3-2-1 Hot and Sweet — Self
• Batman — Self (uncredited)
• 1966The Strolling '20s — Self
• 1965Frank Sinatra Spectacular — Self
• The Hollywood Palace — Self - Singer
• 1963Bomb Disposal — Self
• 1963Jackpot at Tahoe — Self
• The Merv Griffin Show — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self - Guest Host
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self - Co-Host
• 1960Frank Sinatra's Welcome Home Party for Elvis Presley — Self - Singer / Dancer / Impressionist
• Playboy's Penthouse — self
• The Big Party — Self
• Tonight Starring Jack Paar — Self
• 1956Jazz Ball — Self (archive footage)
• The Steve Allen Show — Self - Guest
• The Oscars — Self
• The Colgate Comedy Hour — Self
• What's My Line? — Self
• The Emmy Awards — Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show — Self
• 1947Sweet and Low — Self
• Nat King Cole & Friends Unforgettable Hits — Self (archive footage)
• The Best Of Sammy David Jr. Live — self