May Britt, a Swedish film star who was once married to Sammy Davis Jr., has died. She was 91.
The actress died of natural causes at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center on Dec. 11, her son Mark Davis told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born March 22, 1934 in Lidingö, Stockholms län, Sweden, Italian filmmakers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati discovered Britt when she was 18 years old, according to IMDb.
This led the young starlet to relocating to Rome where she appeared in multiple Italian films. In 1957, Britt signed a contract with 20th Century Fox and moved to Hollywood.
The actress first rose to fame when she starred in Edward Dmytryk‘s “The Blue Angel“ in 1959. The film was a remake of the original 1930 drama, which launched the career of the original Lola, Marlene Dietrich.
It has been reported that Marilyn Monroe was originally supposed to appear as Lola in the remake, but she turned it down. Despite “The Blue Angel” getting mostly negative reviews, Britt’s performance was well received, according to IMDb.
Over the next several years, Britt starred in several reputable films including “The Young Lions” alongside Marlon Brando, “The Hunters” with Robert Mitchum and “Murder, Inc.” opposite Peter Falk.
Britt retired from acting when she married Davis Jr. The duo first met in 1959 after he performed at the Mocambo nightclub on the Sunset Strip and invited her to a party, THR reported, citing the 2014 book “Sammy Davis: A Personal Journey With My Father‚” written by the couple’s daughter Tracey.
They wed in 1960, which caused much controversy as interracial marriages were were illegal in 31 states at the time, THR indicated. In addition to Tracey, Britt and Davis Jr. adopted sons Mark and Jeff. The duo divorced in 1968 after Davis reportedly had an affair with dancer Lola Falana.
Britt appeared in several TV programs afterward including “The Danny Thomas Hour,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The Most Deadly Game” and “The Partners.” She also starred in the 1976 horror film “Haunts.”
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