Sammy Davis Jr ex wife May Britt dead at 91…
Swedish actress and Sammy Davis Jr’s ex-wife, May Britt, has died. She was 91.
Britt, the second wife of the legendary (*91*) Pack member, died of natural causes at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Los Angeles on Dec. 11, her son, Mark Davis, told the Hollywood Reporter.
Born on the Swedish island of Lidingö in 1934, Britt was found by famed Italian filmmakers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati when she was 18.
May Britt and husband Sammy Davis Jr. at their marriage ceremony reception at Davis’s Hollywood home on Nov. 13, 1960. Getty Images
She appeared in a number of Italian movies before signing a contract with twentieth Century in 1957.
After signing the contract, Britt, whose real identify was Maj-Britt Wilkens, was solid in the 1958 movies “The Hunters” and performed Marlon Brando’s love curiosity in “The Young Lions.”
She acquired her enormous break when she the position of Lola-Lola, the younger cabaret entertainer in “The Blue Angel,” a position thought to be Marilyn Monroe’s before she turned it down, the outlet reported.
Her last major work was when she portrayed Eadie Collins in the 1960 gangster movie “illegal killing, Inc. “
Britt married her first husband, Edwin Gregson, in 1958, but the couple divorced a 12 months later.
The actress first met Davis after the singer carried out at the famed Los Angeles nightclub Mocambo.
May Britt performs Lola-Lola in a scene from “The Blue Angel.” Getty Images
Britt first met Davis after the singer carried out at the famed Los Angeles nightclub Mocambo. Bettmann Archive
Britt was solid in the 1958 movies “The Hunters” and performed Marlon Brando’s love curiosity in “The Young Lions.” Getty Images
The couple announced their engagement in June 1960, sparking fierce backlash at a time when interracial marriage was unlawful in 31 states.
Britt’s contract wasn’t renewed after her engagement.
The couple married in November 1960 when Britt was 26 and Davis was 34.
The interracial nuptials resulted in Davis being disinvited from John F. Kennedy’s presidential inauguration after the singer helped the politician marketing campaign.
JFK was fearful at the time that the interracial couple’s presence on the big day would upset Southerners.
“Sammy Davis Jr. helped to get JFK elected and then JFK and his campaign decided to pay Sammy back by not allowing him to go to the inauguration because he was part of an interracial marriage,” director Tom Donahue and Martin’s daughter Deana Martin told Fox News in 2021.
They had been targets of death threats, forcing the couple to get 24-hour security safety.
The couple married in November 1960 when Britt was 26 and Davis was 34. Bettmann Archive
Sammy Davis Jr. wheels his wife, May Britt, and their daughter, Tracey Davis, out of Cedars of Lebanon Hospital after their daughter’s beginning. Bettmann Archive
Britt made periodic appearances on tv and married her third husband Lennart Ringquist in 1993 until his death in 2017. Getty Images
Britt gave beginning to the couple’s daughter, Tracey in July 1961 before adopting sons Jeff and Mark.
The couple divorced in December 1968, as rumored swirled of the singer’s affair with dancer Lola Falana.
Tracey Davis said her dad and mom never fell out of love.
“I just couldn’t be what she wanted to me to be. A family man. My performance schedule was rigorous,” Davis Jr. said, his daughter told the Los Angeles Times.
Britt made periodic appearances on tv and married her third husband Lennart Ringquist in 1993 until his death in 2017.
She is survived by her two sons, sister, Mary, and grandchildren. Her daughter Tracey died at the age of 59 in 2020.
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