May Britt

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For the late Swedish actress, see Maj-Britt Nilsson.

May Britt (b. March 22 circa 1933, Lidingö, Sweden; name pronounced "My Britt") had a brief career as movie actress in the 1950s, in Italy first and later in the United States. She retired from the screen after she married Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1960.

Maybritt Wilkens, as she was known originally, was discovered by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati in 1951. She was an assistant to a Stockholm photographer. The two Italians were in Sweden to make a casting for a young blonde for the title role in Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair. They came to the studio where she worked for viewing pictures of some models. After meeting her, they offered her the part.

May Britt, as she was renamed professionally, immediately moved to Rome. As expected, she made her movie debut as the leading actress in Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair (1952). In the following years she worked in some ten Cinecittà productions. She also featured in the War and Peace film of 1956.

In the late 1950s, Britt relocated to Hollywood after signing with 20th Century Fox. She starred in a few movies, including The Young Lions with Marlon Brando, Murder, Inc. with Peter Falk, and the criticized remake of The Blue Angel in the legendary role first created by Marlene Dietrich in 1930.

She met Sammy Davis, Jr., the famous Afro-American singer and actor, in 1959. They soon started dating, and, after a brief engagement, got married on November 13, 1960. Their wedding caused controversy. At that time interracial marriages were forbidden by law in 31 US states out of 50, and only in 1967 were those laws abolished by the US Supreme Court. Prior to the wedding, Britt converted to Judaism. ^[1]

Once married, May Britt left the movies for her family. She and Sammy Davis, Jr. had one daughter and adopted two sons. They divorced in 1968 after Davis had an affair with Lola Falana.

After the divorce, May Britt resumed working with some sporadic TV guest appearances, the last in 1988. Since then she has been retired from acting and mainly involved in painting.