Sammy Davis Jr.

Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer.

SAMMY DAVIS JR.s 60th Anniversary Celebration (1989, 1/2) by Wladi Plus

Primarily a dancer and singer, he was also an actor of stage and screen, comedian, musician, and impressionist, noted for his impersonations of actors, musicians and other celebrities.

early Sammy Davis Jr - Will Mastin Trio (Sammy, Father and ... by Sonny Watson

At the age of 3, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father and Will Mastin as the Will Mastin Trio, which toured nationally.

The Will Mastin Trio was a trio of dancers and singers formed by Will Mastin, Sammy Davis, Sr. and Sammy Davis, Jr..

Vaudeville is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment.

After military service, Davis returned to the trio.

Davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards.

Ciro's was a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip, opened in January 1940 by entrepreneur William Wilkerson.

With the trio, he became a recording artist.

In 1954, he lost his left eye in a car accident, and several years later, he converted to Judaism.

Judaism encompasses the religion, philosophy, culture and way of life of the Jewish people.

Davis's film career began as a child in 1933.

In 1960, he appeared in the Rat Pack film Ocean's 11.

Ocean's 11 is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Joey Bishop.

The Rat Pack was a supergroup of actors originally centered on their leader, Frank Sinatra.

After a starring role on Broadway in 1956's Mr Wonderful, he returned to the stage in 1964's Golden Boy.

In 1966 he had his own TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis Jr. Show.

Davis's career slowed in the late 1960s, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man" in 1972 and became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname "Mister Show Business".

"The Candy Man" is a song which originally appeared in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Candyman or Candy Man used to refer to a candy street vendor or slang for a drug dealer.

Davis was a victim of racism throughout his life, particularly during the pre-Civil Rights era, and was a large financial supporter of the Civil Rights movement.

Davis had a complex relationship with the black community, and drew criticism after publicly supporting President Richard Nixon in 1972.

Richard Milhous Nixon was an American politician who served as the 37th President of the United States from 1969 until 1974, when he became the only U.S. president to resign from office.

One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was.

Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, radio, television and film actor, and violinist.

"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 he died of throat cancer in 1990.

He died in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles.

The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government.