Swedish actress and Sammy Davis Jr’s ex-wife, May Britt, has died. She was 91.
Britt, the second wife of the legendary Rat Pack member, died of natural causes at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Los Angeles on Dec. 11, her son, Mark Davis, told the Hollywood Reporter.
Born on the Swedish island of Lidingö in 1934, Britt was discovered by famed Italian filmmakers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati when she was 18.
She appeared in several Italian films before signing a contract with 20th Century in 1957.
After signing the contract, Britt, whose real name was Maj-Britt Wilkens, was cast in the 1958 films “The Hunters” and played Marlon Brando’s love interest in “The Young Lions.”
She got her huge break when she the role of Lola-Lola, the young cabaret entertainer in “The Blue Angel,” a role thought to be Marilyn Monroe’s before she turned it down, the outlet reported.
Her last major work was when she portrayed Eadie Collins in the 1960 gangster film “Murder, Inc. “
Britt married her first husband, Edwin Gregson, in 1958, but the couple divorced a year later.
The actress first met Davis after the singer performed at the famed Los Angeles nightclub Mocambo.
The couple announced their engagement in June 1960, sparking fierce backlash at a time when interracial marriage was illegal in 31 states.
Britt’s contract wasn’t renewed after her engagement.
The couple married in November 1960 when Britt was 26 and Davis was 34.
The interracial nuptials resulted in Davis being disinvited from John F. Kennedy’s presidential inauguration after the singer helped the politician campaign.
JFK was worried at the time that the interracial couple’s presence on the big day would upset Southerners.
“Sammy Davis Jr. helped to get JFK elected and then JFK and his campaign decided to pay Sammy back by not allowing him to go to the inauguration because he was part of an interracial marriage,” director Tom Donahue and Martin’s daughter Deana Martin told Fox News in 2021.
They were targets of death threats, forcing the couple to get 24-hour security protection.
Britt gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Tracey in July 1961 before adopting sons Jeff and Mark.
The couple divorced in December 1968, as rumored swirled of the singer’s affair with dancer Lola Falana.
Tracey Davis said her parents never fell out of love.
“I just couldn’t be what she wanted to me to be. A family man. My performance schedule was rigorous,” Davis Jr. said, his daughter told the Los Angeles Times.
Britt made periodic appearances on television and married her third husband Lennart Ringquist in 1993 until his death in 2017.
She is survived by her two sons, sister, Mary, and grandchildren. Her daughter Tracey died at the age of 59 in 2020.
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