Sammy Davis, Sr.

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Sammy Davis, Sr.

Born	(1900-12-12)December 12, 1900 Wilmington, North Carolina
Died	May 21, 1988(1988-05-21) (aged 87) Beverly Hills, California
Occupation	dancer
Spouse(s)	Rita Wade Davis
Children	Sammy Davis, Jr.

Samuel George Davis. (December 12, 1900 – May 21, 1988) known as Sammy Davis Sr was an American dancer and the father of entertainer 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. once 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

Will Mastin Trio - (L-R) Sammy Davis Sr., Sammy Davis Jr., and Will Mastin

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, less than 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)

Persondata
Name	Davis, Sammy, Sr.
Alternative names
Short description	American entertainer
Date of birth	December 12, 1900
Place of birth	Wilmington, North Carolina
Date of death	May 21, 1988
Place of death	Beverly Hills, California

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