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'''Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Sr.''' (December 12, 1900 – May 21, 1988) was an American dancer and the father of [[Sammy Davis, Jr.]] |
'''Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Sr.''' (December 12, 1900 – May 21, 1988) was an American dancer and the father of [[Sammy Davis, Jr.]] |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Revision as of 20:40, 16 June 2013
Sammy Davis, Sr. | |
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| File:Sammy Davis Sr 83d40m detail from publicity photograph of Will Mastin Trio.png | |
| Born | December 12, 1900 |
| Died | May 21, 1988 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | dancer |
| Spouse | Rita Wade Davis |
| Children | Sammy Davis, Jr. |
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Sr. (December 12, 1900 – May 21, 1988) was an American dancer and the father of Sammy Davis, Jr.
Early life
Sammy Davis, Sr. was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. He and his former wife Elvera Sanchez were both dancers in a vaudeville troupe. The couple split up when their son Sammy, Jr. was 3. Davis, Sr. took custody of his son, who then went into show business with his father. He and Will Mastin, the leader of the dance troupe, taught Sammy, Jr. how to dance and they performed together as the Will Mastin Trio. Sammy Jr. has stated, "When I was nine I told my father, 'I can outdance you'. 'Oh yeah? What makes you think that?' he asked. 'Cause you taught me everything I know'. 'Yeah, but I didn't teach you everything I know".[1]
Career
Sammy Davis, Sr. began dancing early in life, and as a young man joined Will Mastin to form a dancing troupe. Soon Sammy, Jr. joined the act and they became known as the Will Mastin Trio. The three appeared in the 1956 Broadway musical Mr. Wonderful.
Sammy Davis Sr. also appeared in two movies, Sweet and Low and The Benny Goodman Story. In The Benny Goodman Story he played bandleader and arranger Fletcher Henderson.
Death
Sammy Davis, Sr. died May 21, 1988, in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 87, of natural causes, about two years before the death of his only child, Sammy Davis, Jr.[citation needed]
External links
- Internet Movie Database listing
- Sammy Davis Sr. in photograph of the Will Mastin Trio c. 1935 with Sammy Davis Jr. and Will Mastin
- Photograph of the Will Mastin Trio - Sammy Davis Sr., Sammy Davis Jr., and Will Mastin
References
- ^ Quote from caption of photograph in unidentified publication, Modern Myth Museum, undated (but being born in 1925, it must have been c. 1935)