Sammy Davis Jr.

Davis was born on December 8, 1925, in the Harlem district of Manhattan in New York City, the son of African-American entertainer and stage performer Sammy Davis Sr. (1900–1988) and Cuban-American tap dancer and stage performer Elvera Sanchez (1905–2000). At age seven, Davis played the title role in the film Rufus Jones for President, in which he sang and danced with Ethel Waters. He lived for several years in Boston's South End and reminisced years later about "hoofing and singing" at Izzy Ort's Bar & Grille. ==Military service==

In 1944, during World War II, Davis was drafted into the U.S. Army at age 18. He was frequently abused by white soldiers from the South and later recounted: "I must have had a knockdown, drag-out fight every two days." His nose was broken numerous times and permanently flattened. At one point he was offered a beer laced with urine. At one show he found himself performing in front of soldiers who had previously racially abused him. While in Paris in September 1944, he found himself being introduced and guided around the city by a French resistance fighter and left-wing journalist, Madeleine Riffaud. ==Career==

1940s Following his discharge from the Army, Davis rejoined the family dance act, which played at clubs around Portland, Oregon. He also recorded blues songs for Capitol Records in 1949 under the pseudonyms Shorty Muggins and Charlie Green. 1950s In March 1951, the Will Mastin Trio appeared at Ciro's as the opening act for headliner Janis Paige. They were to perform for only 20 minutes, but the reaction from the celebrity-filled crowd was so enthusiastic, especially when Davis launched into his impressions, that they performed for nearly an hour, and Paige insisted the order of the show be flipped. Davis began to achieve success on his own and was singled out for praise by critics, releasing several albums. In 1953, Davis was offered his own television show on ABC, Three for the Road—with the Will Mastin Trio. The network spent $20,000 filming the pilot, which presented African Americans as struggling musicians, not slapstick comedy or the stereotypical mammy roles of the time. The cast included Frances Davis, who was the first black ballerina to perform for the Paris Opera, actresses Ruth Attaway and Jane White, and Frederick O'Neal, who founded the American Negro Theater. The network could not get a sponsor, so the show was dropped. In 1956, he starred in the Broadway musical Mr. Wonderful, which was panned by critics but was a commercial success, closing after 383 performances. In 1958, Davis was hired to crown the winner of the Miss Cavalcade of Jazz beauty contest for the famed fourteenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert produced by Leon Hefflin Sr., held at the Shrine Auditorium on August 3. The other headliners were Little Willie John, Sam Cooke, Ernie Freeman, and Bo Rhambo. The event featured the top four prominent disc jockeys of Los Angeles. In 1959, Davis became a member of the Rat Pack, led by his friend Frank Sinatra, which included fellow performers Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford, a brother-in-law of John F. Kennedy. Initially, Sinatra called the gathering "the Clan", but Davis voiced his opposition, saying that it reminded people of the Ku Klux Klan. Sinatra renamed the group "the Summit". One long night of poker that went on into the early morning saw the men drunken and disheveled. As Angie Dickinson approached the group, she said, "You all look like a pack of rats." The nickname caught on, and they were then called the Rat Pack, the name of the earlier group led by Humphrey Bogart and his wife, Lauren Bacall, who originally made the remark about the "pack of rats" they associated with. 1960s The group around Sinatra made several movies together, including ''Ocean's 11 (1960), Sergeants 3 (1962), and Robin and the 7 Hoods'' (1964), and they performed onstage together in Las Vegas. In 1964, Davis was the first African American to sing at the Copacabana night club in New York. Davis was a headliner at The Frontier Casino in Las Vegas, but owing to Jim Crow practices in Las Vegas, he was required (as were all black performers in the 1950s) to lodge in a rooming house on the west side of the city instead of in the hotels where his white colleagues were housed.. No dressing rooms were provided for black performers, and they had to wait outside by the swimming pool between acts. Davis and other black artists could entertain but could not stay at the hotels where they performed, gamble in the casinos, or dine or drink in the hotel restaurants and bars. Davis later refused to work at places that practiced racial segregation. Canada provided opportunities for performers like Davis unable to break the color barrier in American broadcast television, and in 1959 he starred in his own TV special, ''Sammy's Parade'', on the Canadian network CBC. It was a breakthrough event for the performer, as in the United States in the 1950s corporate sponsors largely controlled the screen: "Black people [were] not portrayed very well on television, if at all", according to Jason King of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. In 1964, Davis was starring in Golden Boy at night and shooting his own New York-based afternoon talk show during the day. When he could get a day off from the theater, he recorded songs in the studio, performed at charity events in Chicago, Miami, and Las Vegas, or appeared on television variety specials in Los Angeles. Davis felt he was cheating his family of his company, but he said he was incapable of standing still. On December 11, 1967, NBC broadcast a musical-variety special featuring Nancy Sinatra, titled ''Movin' with Nancy''. In addition to the Emmy Award-winning musical performances, the show is notable for Nancy Sinatra and Davis greeting each other with a kiss, one of the first black-white kisses on American television. Davis had a friendship with Elvis Presley in the late 1960s, as they both were top-draw acts in Las Vegas at the same time. Davis was in many ways just as reclusive during his hotel gigs as Presley was, holding parties mainly in his penthouse suite that were occasionally attended by Presley. Davis sang a version of Presley's song "In the Ghetto" and made a cameo appearance in Presley's 1970 concert film ''Elvis: That's the Way It Is. One year later, he made a cameo appearance in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever'', but the scene was cut. In Japan, Davis appeared in television commercials for coffee and Suntory Whiskey. In the United States he joined Sinatra and Martin in a radio commercial for a Chicago car dealership. Although he was still popular in Las Vegas, he saw his musical career decline by the late 1960s. He had a No. 11 hit (No. 1 on the Easy Listening singles chart) with "I've Gotta Be Me" in 1969. He signed with Motown to update his sound and appeal to young people. 1970s Davis had an unexpected No. 1 hit with "The Candy Man" with MGM Records in 1972. He did not particularly care for the song and was chagrined that he had become known for it, but Davis made the most of his opportunity and revitalized his career. Although he enjoyed no more Top 40 hits, he did enjoy popularity with his 1976 performance of the theme song from the Baretta television series, "Baretta's Theme (Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow)" (1975–1978), which was released as a single (20th Century Records). On May 27–28, 1973, Davis hosted (with Monty Hall) the first annual 20-hour Highway Safety Foundation telethon. Guests included Muhammad Ali, Paul Anka, Jack Barry, Joyce Brothers, Ray Charles, Dick Clark, Roy Clark, Howard Cosell, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Joe Franklin, Cliff Gorman, Richie Havens, Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis, Hal Linden, Rich Little, Butterfly McQueen, Minnie Pearl, Boots Randolph, Tex Ritter, Phil Rizzuto, The Rockettes, Nipsey Russell, Sally Struthers, Mel Tillis, Ben Vereen, and Lawrence Welk. It was a financial disaster. The total amount of pledges was $1.2 million. Actual pledges received were $525,000. Davis was also a self confessed lover of game shows, appearing on Family Feud in 1979 and Tattletales with his wife Altovise in 1975. 1980s Davis was a huge fan of daytime television, particularly the soap operas produced by the American Broadcasting Company. He made a cameo appearance on General Hospital and had a recurring role as Chip Warren on One Life to Live, for which he received a 1980 Daytime Emmy Award nomination. Davis was also a massive fan of Australian cult soap opera Prisoner: Cell Block H and in 1986 he famously visited the Network 10 studios in Melbourne. Davis watched several scenes being filmed and met with cast and crew. He described the experience as not knowing who was more starstruckhim for meeting the cast of Prisoner or the cast for meeting Davis. In 1988, Davis was billed to tour with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, but Sinatra and Martin had a falling out. During the tour in 1989, Davis was diagnosed with throat cancer; his treatments prevented him from performing. ==Political beliefs and activism==

Davis was a registered Democrat and supported John F. Kennedy's 1960 election campaign as well as Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 campaign. He went on to become a close friend of President Richard Nixon (a Republican) and publicly endorsed him at the 1972 Republican National Convention. Davis also made a USO tour to South Vietnam at Nixon's request. In February 1972, during the latter stages of the Vietnam War, Davis went to Vietnam to observe military drug abuse rehabilitation programs and talk to and entertain the troops. He did this as a representative from Richard Nixon's Special Action Office For Drug Abuse Prevention. He performed shows for up to 15,000 troops; after one two-hour performance he reportedly said, "I've never been so tired and felt so good in my life." The U.S. Army made a documentary about Davis's time in Vietnam performing for troops on behalf of Nixon's drug treatment program. of the White House with President Richard Nixon, March 4, 1973 Nixon invited Davis and his wife Altovise to sleep in the White House in 1973, the first time African Americans were invited to do so. The Davises spent the night in the Lincoln Bedroom. Davis later said he regretted supporting Nixon, accusing him of making promises on civil rights that he did not keep. Davis attended the 1972 Black Exposition in Chicago organized by Jesse Jackson's Operation PUSH where he referenced his newfound unpopularity due to his endorsement stating, "disagree, if you will, with my politics, but I will not allow anyone to take away the fact that I am black," and performed his classic I've Gotta Be Me. Davis later supported Jesse Jacksons 1984 campaign for president. ==Personal life==

Accident and conversion to Judaism Davis nearly died in an automobile accident on November 19, 1954, near San Bernardino, California, as he was driving to Los Angeles from Las Vegas. During the previous year, he had started a friendship with comedian and host Eddie Cantor, who had given him a mezuzah. Instead of putting it by his door as a traditional blessing, Davis wore it around his neck for good luck; the only time when he forgot to wear it was the night of the accident. The accident occurred at a fork in U.S. Route 66 at Cajon Boulevard and Kendall Drive when a driver who had missed turning at the fork reversed her car in Davis's lane, causing Davis's car to strike hers. Davis lost his left eye, which was damaged by the bullet-shaped horn button (a standard feature in 1954 and 1955 Cadillacs). His friend, actor Jeff Chandler, said that he would give one of his own eyes to keep Davis from total blindness. Davis wore an eye patch for at least six months following the accident. He was featured with the patch on the cover of his debut album and during an appearance on ''What's My Line?'' wearing the patch. Later, Davis was fitted for a glass eye, which he wore for the rest of his life. In the hospital, Cantor described to Davis the similarities between Jewish and Black cultures. Davis, born to a Catholic mother and Baptist father, was raised Catholic and began studying Jewish history as an adult, converting to Judaism several years later in 1960. One passage from his readings (from the book A History of the Jews by Abram L. Sachar) describing the endurance of the Jewish people interested him in particular: "The Jews would not die. Three millennia of prophetic teaching had given them an unwavering spirit of resignation and had created in them a will to live which no disaster could crush." The accident marked a turning point in Davis's career, taking him from a well-known entertainer to a national celebrity. Relationships and marriages In 1957, Davis was involved with actress Kim Novak, who was under contract with Columbia Pictures. Because Novak was white, Columbia president Harry Cohn worried that public backlash against the relationship could hurt the studio. There are several accounts of what happened, but they agree that Davis was threatened by organized crime figures close to Cohn. According to one account, Cohn called racketeer John Roselli, who was told to inform Davis that he must stop seeing Novak. To try to scare Davis, Roselli had him kidnapped for a few hours. Another account relates that the threat was conveyed to Davis's father by mobster Mickey Cohen. Davis briefly married black dancer Loray White in 1958 to protect himself from mob violence; In 1959, Davis had "a short, stormy, exciting relationship" with Nichelle Nichols. in 1960 In 1960, there was another racially charged public controversy when Davis married white Swedish-born actress May Britt in a ceremony officiated by rabbi William M. Kramer at Temple Israel of Hollywood. While interracial marriage had been legal in California since 1948, anti-miscegenation laws in the U.S. still stood in 23 states, and a 1958 Gallup poll revealed that only 4% of Americans supported marriage between black and white spouses. During 1964 through 1966, Davis received racially motivated hate mail while starring in the Broadway adaptation of Golden Boy, in which his character is in a relationship with a white woman, paralleling his own interracial relationship. Although New York State had no laws against interracial marriage, debate about it was still ongoing in the country as Loving v. Virginia was being adjudicated. It was only in 1967 after the musical finished that anti-miscegenation laws in all states were ruled unconstitutional via the 14th Amendment adopted in 1868 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Britt and Davis's daughter Tracey Davis (July 5, 1961 – November 2, 2020) alleged in a 2014 book that Davis was not permitted to perform at John F. Kennedy's Presidential inauguration because of his marriage to a white woman. The snub was confirmed by director Sam Pollard, who revealed in a 2017 American Masters documentary that Davis's invitation to perform at the inauguration was abruptly canceled on the night of Kennedy's inaugural party. Davis and Britt adopted two sons. Davis performed almost continuously and spent little time with his wife. They divorced in 1968 after Davis admitted to an affair with singer Lola Falana. , in 1986 In 1968, Davis started dating Altovise Gore, a dancer in Golden Boy. They were married on May 11, 1970, by Jesse Jackson and adopted a son, Manny, in 1989. Davis was an enthusiastic shooter and gun owner who participated in fast-draw competitions. Johnny Cash recalled that Davis was said to be capable of drawing and firing a Colt Single Action Army revolver in less than a quarter of a second. In his 1989 autobiography, Why Me?, Davis related that after 1973 comedy pilot Poor Devil, he became friends with Anton LaVey, the founder high priest of the Church of Satan, that he became an honorary warlock in the church, which included accepting an invitation to a 1968 church ceremony in the Hollywood Hills that ended in a drug-fueled orgy. According to Davis, he and LaVey severed ties in 1984, but Davis continued to perform Satanic rituals into his final days. Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy said in 2019 that Davis was a devil worshipper who personally told him that "Satan is as powerful as God." Health After Davis's marriage to May Britt ended in 1968, Davis turned to alcohol. He also "found solace in drugs, particularly cocaine and amyl nitrite" and experimented with pornography. Davis announced his sponsorship of the Sammy Davis Jr. National Liver Institute in Newark, New Jersey in 1985. Final illness and death In August 1989, Davis began to develop symptoms of cancer – a tickle in his throat and an inability to taste food. When told that surgery (laryngectomy) offered him the best chance of survival, Davis replied he would rather keep his voice than have a part of his throat removed; he was treated with definitive radiation therapy. His larynx was later removed when his cancer recurred. He was released from the hospital on March 13, 1990. His funeral was attended by Little Richard and Stevie Wonder among others. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. On May 18, 1990, two days after his death, the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip were darkened for ten minutes as a tribute. Several media outlets reported his death alongside Muppets creator Jim Henson, who died the same day. Estate Davis left the bulk of his estate, estimated at $4,000,000 (U.S.), to his widow Altovise Davis, but he owed the IRS $5,200,000, which after interest and penalties had increased to over $7,000,000. Altovise became liable for his debt because they had filed jointly and she had co-signed their tax returns. ==Legacy==

Portrayals • SCTVs The Sammy Maudlin Show sketches were inspired by the syndicated talk show called Sammy & Company (April 5, 1975 – March 19, 1977). • In an episode of ''Charlie's Angels'', Davis had a dual role, playing both himself and a Sammy Davis Jr. impersonator who is kidnapped by mistake (in a comic relief scene, the impersonator beats up a candy machine which does not give him his candy, a spoof of Davis's song "The Candy Man"). • Comedian Jim Carrey has portrayed Davis on stage, in the 1983 film Copper Mountain, and in a stand-up routine. • On Saturday Night Live, Davis has been portrayed by Garrett Morris, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal and Tim Meadows. • Davis was portrayed on the popular sketch comedy show In Living Color by Tommy Davidson, notably a parody of the film Ghost, in which the ghost of Davis enlists the help of Whoopi Goldberg to communicate with his wife. • David Raynr portrayed Davis in the 1992 miniseries Sinatra, a television film about the life of Frank Sinatra. • In the comedy film ''Wayne's World 2'' (1993), Tim Meadows portrays Davis in the dream sequence with Michael A. Nickles as Jim Morrison. • In the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie (1996), Eddie Sherman (played by comedian Eddie Griffin) impersonates Davis in the episode "Sh-Boing-Boing" to help his partner Malcolm McGee (played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner) reconcile his grandparents' relationship. • Davis was portrayed by Don Cheadle in the HBO film The Rat Pack, a 1998 television film about the group of entertainers. Cheadle won a Golden Globe Award for his performance. • He was portrayed by Paul Sharma in the 2003 West End production Rat Pack Confidential. • Davis was portrayed in 2008 by Keith Powell in an episode of 30 Rock titled "Subway Hero". • In September 2009, the musical Sammy: Once in a Lifetime premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego with a book, music, and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, and additional songs by Bricusse and Anthony Newley. The title role was played by Tony Award nominee Obba Babatundé. • Comedian Billy Crystal has portrayed Davis on Saturday Night Live, in his stand-up routines, and at the 2012 Oscars. • Actor Phaldut Sharma created the comedy web-series I Gotta Be Me (2015), following a frustrated soap star as he performs as Sammy in a Rat Pack tribute show. • In January 2017, Davis's estate joined a production team led by Lionel Richie, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and Mike Menchel to make a movie based on Davis's life and show-biz career. ==Honors and awards==

Shortly before his death in 1990, ABC aired the TV special Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration, produced by George Schlatter. An all-star cast, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Eddie Murphy, Diahann Carroll, Clint Eastwood, and Ella Fitzgerald, paid tribute to Davis. The show was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards, winning Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy. Grammy Awards Emmy Awards Other honors ==Discography==

Studio albums • Starring Sammy Davis Jr. (1955) • Just for Lovers (1955) • Mr. Wonderful (1956) • ''Here's Lookin' at You'' (1956) • Sammy Swings (1957) • Boy Meets Girl (with Carmen McRae) (1957) • Sammy Jumps with Joya (with Joya Sherrill) (1957) • ''It's All Over but the Swingin''' (1957) • Mood to Be Wooed (1958) • All the Way... and Then Some! (1958) • Porgy and Bess (with Carmen McRae) (1959) • Sammy Awards (1960) • I Gotta Right to Swing (1960) • The Wham of Sam (1961) • Mr. Entertainment (1961) • Sammy Davis Jr. Belts the Best of Broadway (1962) • The Sammy Davis Jr. All-Star Spectacular (1962) • What Kind of Fool Am I and Other Show-Stoppers (1962) • As Long as She Needs Me (1963) • Sammy Davis Jr. Salutes the Stars of the London Palladium (1964) • The Shelter of Your Arms (1964) • ''Sammy Davis Jr. Sings Mel Tormé's "California Suite"'' (1964) • Sammy Davis Jr. Sings the Big Ones for Young Lovers (1964) • When the Feeling Hits You! (with Sam Butera and the Witnesses) (1965) • Our Shining Hour (with Count Basie) (1965) • If I Ruled the World (1965) • The Nat King Cole Songbook (1965) • ''Sammy's Back on Broadway'' (1965) • The Sammy Davis Jr. Show (1966) • Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays (with Laurindo Almeida) (1966) • Sammy Davis Jr. Sings the Complete "Dr. Dolittle" (1967) • Lonely Is the Name (1968) • ''I've Gotta Be Me'' (1968) • ''The Goin's Great'' (1969) • Something for Everyone (1970) • Sammy Steps Out (1970) • Sammy Davis Jr. Now (1972) • Portrait of Sammy Davis Jr. (1972) • ''That's Entertainment!'' (1974) • The Song and Dance Man (1976) • Sings The Great TV-Tunes (1977) • Closest of Friends (1982) ==Work on screen and stage==

Filmography • Rufus Jones for President (1933) – Rufus Jones • Seasoned Greetings (1933) – Henry Johnson – Store Customer • Sweet and Low (1947) – Member, Will Maston Trio • Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956) – Sammy Davis Jr. (voice, uncredited) • Anna Lucasta (1958) – Danny Johnson • Porgy and Bess (1959) – Sportin' Life • ''Ocean's 11'' (1960) – Josh Howard • Pepe (1960) – Sammy Davis Jr. • Sergeants 3 (1962) – Jonah Williams • The Rifleman (1962) – Tip Corey, Wade Randall • Convicts 4 (1962) – Wino • The Threepenny Opera (1963) – Street Singer • Johnny Cool (1963) – Educated • Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) – Will • Nightmare in the Sun (1965) – Truck driver • The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World (1965, title song) – Singer behind opening credits (uncredited) • A Man Called Adam (1966) – Adam Johnson • ''Alice in Wonderland (or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?)'' (1966) – Cheshire Cat • Salt and Pepper (1968) – Charles Salt • The Fall (1969) • The Pigeon (1969) – Larry Miller (unsold TV pilot produced by Aaron Spelling) • Sweet Charity (1969) – Big Daddy • One More Time (1970) – Charles Salt • ''Elvis: That's the Way It Is'' (1970) • The Trackers (1971) – TV movie with Ernest Borgnine • Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – Casino Punter (deleted scene) • Save the Children (1973) • Poor Devil (1973; unsold pilot of a TV series) • Gone with the West, also known outside the U.S. as Little Moon and Jud McGraw (1975) – Kid Dandy • Madeleine (1977) – Spud The Scarecrow (singing voice) • Sammy Stops the World (1978) – Littlechap • The Cannonball Run (1981) – Morris Fenderbaum • ''Heidi's Song'' (1982) – Head Ratte (voice) • Cracking Up (1983) • Broadway Danny Rose (1984) – Thanksgiving Parade's Grand Marshall (uncredited) • Cannonball Run II (1984) – Morris Fenderbaum • Alice in Wonderland (1985) – The Caterpillar / Father William • ''That's Dancing!'' (1985) • Knights of the City (1986) • The Perils of P.K. (1986) • Moon over Parador (1988) • Tap (1989) – Little Mo • ''Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration'' – Himself (1989) • The Kid Who Loved Christmas (1990) – Sideman (final film role); posthumous release Television • ''What's My Line?'' – "Sammy Davis Jr." (1955) • General Electric Theater – "The Patsy" (1960) Season 8 Episode 21 • Frontier Circus - episode Coals Of Fire (1961) • Lawman – episode Blue Boss and Willie Shay" (1961) • The Dick Powell Show – episode "The Legend" (1962) • Hennesey – episode "Tight Quarters" (1962) • The Rifleman – 2 episodes "Two Ounces of Tin (4.21)" (February 19, 1962) and "The Most Amazing Man (5.9)" (November 27, 1962) • 77 Sunset Strip – episode "The Gang's All Here" (1962) • Ben Casey – episode "Allie" (1963) • The Patty Duke Show – episode "Will the Real Sammy Davis Please Hang Up?" (1965) • The Sammy Davis Jr. Show – Host (January 7, 1966) • ''Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?'' (March 30, 1966) • The Wild Wild West – episode "The Night of the Returning Dead" (October 14, 1966) • Batman – "The Clock King's Crazy Crimes" (1966) • I Dream of Jeannie – episode "The Greatest Entertainer in the World" (1967) • ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' – Here Comes The Judge skit (1968–70, 1971, 1973) • The Mod Squad – three episodes: "Keep the Faith Baby" (1969), "Survival House" (1970), and "The Song of Willie" (1970) • The Beverly Hillbillies – episode Manhattan Hillbillies (1969) • The Name of the Game – episode "I Love You, Billy Baker" (1970) • ''Here's Lucy'' (1970) • ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' – episode "A Little Help From My Friend" (1972) • All in the Family – episode "Sammy's Visit" (1972) • Chico and the Man – episode "Sammy Stops In" (1975) • The Carol Burnett Show (1975) • Sammy & Company – host/performer (1975–1977) • ''Charlie's Angels'' – episode "Sammy Davis, Jr. Kidnap Caper" (1977) • Sanford – episodes "Dinner and George's" (cameo) and "The Benefit" (1980) • ''Archie Bunker's Place'' – episode "The Return of Sammy" (1980) • General Hospital – episode Benefit for Sports Center (1982) • General Hospital – Eddie Phillips (father to Bryan Phillips) (1983) • Channel Seven Perth's Telethon (1983) • The Jeffersons – episode "What Makes Sammy Run?" (1984) • Fantasy Island – episode "Mr. Bojangles and the Dancer/Deuces are Wild" (1984) • Gimme a Break! – episode "The Lookalike" (1985) • Alice in Wonderland • Hunter – episode "Ring of Honor" (1989) • The Cosby Show – episode "No Way, Baby" (1989) • Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration (1990) – 2 hour all star TV special Theater • Mr. Wonderful (1956), musical • Golden Boy (1964), musical – Tony Nomination for Best Actor in a Musical • Sammy (1974), special performance featuring Davis with the Nicholas Brothers • Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (1978), musical revival ==See also==