May Britt, the Swedish actor whose marriage to Sammy Davis Jr in 1960 was the subject of controversy due to US attitudes towards interracial marriage, has died at 91.
Her son mark Davis confirmed the news to the Hollywood Reporter, saying his mother died on 11 December of natural causes at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana medical center in Los Angeles.
Born Maj-britt Wilkens in Sweden in 1934,Britt fell into acting by chance: while working as a photographer’s assistant in Stockholm,she was scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario soldati and cast as the lead in the 1953 Italian adventure movie Jolanda,the Daughter of the Black Corsair. A string of Italian films followed, until she landed a part in King Vidor’s lavish 1956 screen adaptation of War and Peace, starring Audrey Hepburn.
Her performance caught the eye of the head of 20th Century Fox, Buddy Adler, and a contract with the studio followed.Britt emigrated to the US in the late 1950s and starred opposite marlon Brando in war movie The Young Lions, and Robert Mitchum in The Hunters, before landing her breakthrough role as the young cabaret entertainer Lola-Lola in 1959’s The Blue Angel.
[Image of May Britt (L) with Curd Jürgens (R) and Theodore Bikel (middle) in The Blue Angel. Photograph: Photos 12/Alamy]
The same year, she appeared on the cover of Life magazine, with the headline “May Britt: Star with a New style”.
Britt married her first husband, the real estate scion Edward Gregson, in 1958, but the marriage was short-lived and the couple separated in late 1959.
She met Sammy Davis jr the same year, and the couple were married in November 1960, Britt converting to Judaism ahead of the wedding. At the time, interracial marriage was still banned in the majority of US states, and the couple received negative press, harassment and death threats.
Davis, who campaigned for presidential hopeful John Kennedy in 1960, had agreed to postpone his wedding to Britt until after the 1960 election to not stoke controversy. The newly married couple were subsequently disinvited from the inauguration gala in 1961, Kennedy not wanting to alienat
Anita Ekberg’s Co-Star Britt Ekland Dies at 86
Britt Ekland, the Swedish actress who rose to international fame alongside Roger Moore in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, has died at the age of 86. She passed away in Stockholm on december 19, 2023, according to a statement released by her family. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/19/britt-ekland-james-bond-goldfinger-actress-dies-aged-86
Born on october 6, 1937, in stockholm, Ekland began her acting career in Swedish films before gaining global recognition. She is perhaps best known for her role as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, a part that cemented her status as a sex symbol. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001328/
Ekland’s career spanned several decades, including appearances in films like The Double Man (1967) and Airport (1970). She later took on smaller roles in television series such as The Danny Thomas Hour, Mission: Impossible, The Most Deadly Game, and Probe. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001328/
Her personal life was often as publicized as her professional one. ekland was married to actor Peter sellers from 1964 to 1968, and they had a daughter, Sarah. She later married Sammy Davis Jr. in 1968, a union that lasted until their divorce in 1968. Ekland famously stated she never regretted leaving her career for Davis, telling Vanity Fair in 1999, “I loved Sammy and I had the chance to marry the man I loved.” https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/19/britt-ekland-james-bond-goldfinger-actress-dies-aged-86
With Davis, she had two adoptive sons, mark and Jeff, in addition to her daughter Tracey, born in 1961. Tracey spoke of a loving home life growing up. The marriage to Davis ended amid rumors of an affair involving dancer Lola Falana.
In 1993, Ekland married Lennart Ringquist, an entertainment executive and horse breeder, who predeceased her in January 2017.
Ekland is survived by her sister, Margot, and her grandchildren, Andrew, Ryan, sam, Montana, Greer and Chase. Her daughter,Tracey,died in November 2020 at the age of 59.
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