caption resting_place death_date death_place years_active birth_place children name parents birth_date spouse image article_title birth_name occupation death_cause
1986 portrait by allan warren forest lawn memorial park in glendale , california 16 may 1990 beverly hills , california , u.s. 1933 -- 1990 harlem , new york , u.s. 4 sammy davis jr. . sammy davis sr. elvera sanchez 8 december 1925 loray white 1958 1959 sammy davis jnr allan warren.jpg sammy davis jr. .
 samuel george davis jr. singer drummer , comedian , tap dancer , actor , pianist , throat cancer
sammy davis jr. .

samuel george `` sammy '' davis jr. -lrb- december 8 , 1925 -- may 16 , 1990 -rrb- was an african american jewish entertainer .
primarily a dancer and singer , he was also an actor of stage and screen , musician , and impressionist , noted for his impersonations of actors , musicians and other celebrities .
at the age of three davis began his career in vaudeville with his father and will mastin as the will mastin trio , which toured nationally .
after military service davis returned to the trio .
davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at ciro 's -lrb- in west hollywood , california -rrb- after the 1951 academy awards .
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 .
davis 's film career began as a child in 1933 .
in 1960 , he appeared in the first rat pack film , `` ocean 's 11 '' .
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 , `` 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 '' .
as an african-american , davis was the victim of racism throughout his life and was a large financial supporter of the civil rights movement .
davis had a complex relationship with the african-american community , and drew criticism after physically embracing president richard m. nixon in 1972 .
one day on a golf course with jack benny , he was asked what his handicap was .
`` handicap ? ''
he asked .
`` 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 .
davis was awarded the spingarn medal by the naacp and was nominated for a golden globe and an emmy award for his television performances .
he was the recipient of the kennedy center honors in 1987 , and in 2001 , he was posthumously awarded the grammy lifetime achievement award .
