Sammy Davis Jr.

Birth Name:

Samuel George Davis

Birth Place:

Harlem, New York, United States

Profession

Soundtrack, Actor, Producer, Director, Writer, Music department

In 1968, he received the NAACP Spingarn Medal Award
In 2008, he was posthumously inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame
Learned to dance at three years old, and his father took him on tour in a dance troupe at a young age
Quote: "You have to be able to look back at your own life and say, 'Yeah, that was fun․' The only person I ever hurt was myself and even that I did to the minimum․ If you can do that and you're still functioning, you're the luckiest person in the world․"
Quote: "If you had to worship something mortal on Earth, I would go and bow twice a day to wherever [Laurence Olivier] was standing․"
Well known for his impersonations of other celebrities
Widely recognized for the glass eye on the left side of his face
Performing in a vaudeville act since the age of five, he never attended school of any kind
With a Cuban-American mother, he would claim to be of Puerto Rican descent due to the fear that anti-Cuban backlash would hurt his record sales
In order to overcome child labor laws in his youth, he was billed as "Silent Sammy, the Dancing Midget․"

1960Golden Laurel - Top Male Musical Performance:Nominated
1977Golden Globe - Best Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical:Nominated
1980Daytime Emmy - Outstanding Guest/Cameo Appearance in a Daytime Drama Series:Nominated
1985Razzie Award - Worst Supporting Actor:Nominated
1989Image Award - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture:Nominated
1989Primetime Emmy - Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series:Nominated

Fast Facts