The show featured the first interracial kiss on Broadway. Davis was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance. He returned to the stage in 1964 in a musical adaptation of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy. In 1960, he appeared in the Rat Pack film Ocean's 11. ĭavis had a starring role on Broadway in Mr. Several years later, he converted to Judaism, finding commonalities between the oppression experienced by African-American and Jewish communities.
In 1954, at the age of 29, he lost his left eye in a car accident.
With the trio, he became a recording artist. After military service, Davis returned to the trio and became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's (in West Hollywood) after the 1951 Academy Awards. and the Will Mastin Trio, which toured nationally, and his film career began in 1933. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian and dancer.Īt age three, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr.
