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May Britt, the Swedish actress who faced racism for her 1960 marriage to Rat Pack star Sammy Davis Jr., died of natural causes Dec. 11 at a hospital in Los Angeles, son Mark Davis toldThe Hollywood Reporter. She was 91.
Britt was known for films such as the 1959 dramaThe Blue AngelandMurder, Inc., in which she sang and danced, as well as the 1956 production ofWar and Peace, in which she costarred alongside Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda, and the Korean War-setThe Hunters, with Robert Mitchum and Robert Wagner, in 1958.
Born in Switzerland, Britt was discovered by Italian producer Carlo Ponti when she was 18. She did several international films before landing in America in the late '50s.
Britt met Davis after one of his performances in L.A. and asked her to come to a party, which their daughter, Tracey Davis, wrote about in her 2014 bookSammy Davis: A Personal Journey With My Father.
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By June 1960, the couple announced that they were engaged. They faced serious backlash for their relationship at a time when interracial marriage was forbidden in 31 states.
PerTHR, the younger Davis' book alleged that they were pressured into postponing their nuptials by none other than Frank Sinatra, Davis' costar in the 1960 movieOcean's Eleven. The friend of presidential candidate John F. Kennedy wanted them to wait until after the election to marry, despite invitations having already gone out. Davis, who had campaigned for Kennedy, waited.
The book also says the couple was disinvited to the inauguration gala three days before it was to be held, because Kennedy didn't want to upset Southern members of Congress.
They welcomed Tracey in 1961, and their adoption of sons Mark and Jeff followed.
The couple divorced in 1968.
Britt appeared in a handful of projects afterward, including episodes ofMission: ImpossibleandThe Most Deadly Game,and the 1976 horror filmHaunts.
Britt is survived by her sons — daughter Tracey Davis died in 2020 — as well as a sister, Margot, and grandchildren, Andrew, Ryan, Sam, Montana, Greer, and Chase.
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