Sammy Davis Jr. (pronounced junior, but usually written as Jr.) was a singer, dancer, and actor. He was also a comedian, a film producer, and a television director.If you heard him sing or watched him dance, you would think he didn’t have any problems. And for the first 18 years of his life, he didn’t have problems. After he was 18, things got difficult.He was born on December 8, 1925 in Harlem, New York. His father was a singer and dancer, and his mother was a dancer.During the early part of his life (from the time he was three years old until he was 18), he and his dad, Sammy Davis Sr. (short for senior), and a man named Will Mastin, sang and danced and did comedy together. Their act was called the Will Mastin Trio, and they performed in night clubs and on stage in theaters.The reason he was performing at such a young age is that his parents divorced when he was three, and his father, rather than have a relative care for the boy, took him along and made him part of the act.Sammy didn’t go to school, so although he learned to read and loved to read, he never learned how to write. Later on when he became rich and famous and people asked him for his autograph, he would only write his name. He was too embarrassed to try to write “best wishes” or “thank you” or “good luck” or anything else because he didn’t know how.His father and Will Mastin protected Sammy from the hate that many white people had for black people in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. When Sammy was drafted into the U.S. Army at age 18, it was a shock to him that blacks and whites didn’t get along.In the Army, many white soldiers would gang up on Sammy and try to beat him up. Though he was small – only about five foot six inches tall and 120 pounds – Sammy always fought back.When he got out of the army and continued his career as an entertainer, a terrible car accident almost ruined his chances for success. In 1954 as he was driving his car, another car suddenly backed out in front of him and he crashed into it. The accident was terrible, and Sammy Davis could have died. His nose was broken and his face was injured. The worst of the damage was to his left eye. It was so bad that doctors had to remove it. He wore an eye patch until doctors put in a glass eye to help him appear normal. The rest of his life he could only see out of his right eye.While he was in the hospital, feeling like it was a miracle that he was even alive, he met a Jewish man who talked with him and helped him. Because of his discussions with this man, Sammy Davis converted to the Jewish faith.Two months after his accident, Sammy Davis Jr. was back to work entertaining people, which he did the rest of his life.He acted and sang in Broadway shows, was in dozens of movies, recorded more than 50 record albums, and gave hundreds of live performances. Many people called Sammy Davis Jr. the greatest living entertainer in the world.He was a heavy smoker. As a result, Sammy Davis got throat cancer in his early 60s and died on May 16, 1990, at age 64.Fun Facts• One of his hobbies was taking photographs. He took pictures of friends, family members, and people in show business.• A small group of entertainers – Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop – like to spend time together and became known as the Rat Pack.• His nickname was Mr. Show Business.• As a boy, when the Will Mastin Trio appeared onstage, Sammy Davis Jr. was always in the middle between his father and Mastin. Many years later when Sammy Davis died, he was buried between his father and Will Mastin. The trio was together again.
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