May Britt
Encyclopedia
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- For the Swedish actress, see Maj-Britt NilssonMaj-Britt NilssonMaj-Britt Nilsson was a Swedish movie actress of the 1940s and 1950s.Nilsson was born in Stockholm and trained at the drama school of the Royal Dramatic Theater there...
.
- For the Swedish actress, see Maj-Britt Nilsson
May Britt (born 22 March 1933) is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
actress who had a brief career in the 1950s in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and later in the United States. She retired from the screen after she married Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
in 1960.
Career
Maybritt Wilkens, as she was known originally, was discovered by Italian film-makers Carlo PontiCarlo Ponti
Carlo Ponti was an Italian film producer with over 140 production credits, and the husband of Italian movie star Sophia Loren.-Career:...
and Mario Soldati in 1951. She was an assistant to a Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
photographer. The two Italians were in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to cast a young blonde woman for the title role in Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair. They came to the studio where she worked to view photographs of models. After meeting her, they offered her the part. May Britt, as she was renamed professionally, immediately moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. As expected, she made her movie debut as the leading actress in Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair (1952). In the following years she worked in some ten Cinecittà
Cinecittà
Cinecittà is a large film studio in Rome that is considered the hub of Italian cinema.-History:The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi for propaganda purposes, under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte"...
productions. She also featured in the epic War and Peace
War and Peace (1956 film)
War and Peace is the first English-language film version of the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is an American/Italian version, directed by King Vidor and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. The music score was by Nino Rota and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff...
film of 1956.
In the late 1950s, Britt relocated to Hollywood after signing with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. She starred in a few movies, including The Young Lions
The Young Lions
The Young Lions is a 1958 war drama film directed by Edward Dmytryk, based upon the 1949 novel of the same name by Irwin Shaw, and starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Dean Martin.-Outline:...
with Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
and Murder, Inc.
Murder, Inc. (1960 film)
Murder, Inc. is a 1960 American gangster film starring Stuart Whitman, May Britt, Henry Morgan, Peter Falk, and Simon Oakland. The Cinemascope movie was directed by Burt Balaban and Stuart Rosenberg. The screenplay was based on the true story of Murder Inc., a Brooklyn gang that operated in the...
with Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
, as well as a much-criticized remake of The Blue Angel in the legendary role first created by Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
in 1930.
Marriage and retirement
She met Sammy Davis, Jr.Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
in 1959. They began dating, and, after a brief engagement, were married on November 13, 1960. Their wedding caused controversy. A rumor or myth, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
told Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
to tell Davis not to marry May until after the 1960 Presidential Election
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
. At that time interracial marriage
Interracial marriage
Interracial marriage occurs when two people of differing racial groups marry. This is a form of exogamy and can be seen in the broader context of miscegenation .-Legality of interracial marriage:In the Western world certain jurisdictions have had regulations...
was forbidden by law in 31 U.S. states, and only in 1967 were those laws (by then down to 17 states) ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to the wedding, Britt converted to Judaism. The couple was married by Rabbi William Kramer.
Once married, Britt left the movies. She and Davis had one natural child, a daughter, Tracey, born July 5, 1961, and adopted two sons: Mark Sidney Davis, born in 1960 and adopted June 4, 1963, and Jeff, named after actor Jeff Chandler, and born in 1963.
They divorced in 1968 after Davis reportedly had an affair with dancer Lola Falana
Lola Falana
Lola Falana is an American singer, dancer, and actress of Cuban and African American descent. Falana's father left Cuba to become a welder in the United States, where he met his wife...
. After the divorce, Britt resumed working with sporadic TV guest appearances, the last in 1988. Since then she has been retired and mainly involved in painting. She currently resides in California with her third husband, Lennart Ringquist.
In popular culture
Britt was portrayed by Megan DoddsMegan Dodds
Megan Lynne Dodds is an American stage and television actress.-Biography:Megan Dodds was born in Sacramento, California, and after High School she enrolled in a community college where she was cast as Bananas in John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves...
in the 1998 TV film The Rat Pack
The Rat Pack (film)
The Rat Pack is a 1998 HBO TV movie about the Rat Pack. The movie stars Ray Liotta as Frank Sinatra, Joe Mantegna as Dean Martin, Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis, Jr., and Angus Macfadyen as Peter Lawford....
, which depicted her marriage to Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, played by Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair | Jolanda | Alternative title: Jolanda la figlia del corsaro nero |
| 1953 | Fatal Desire | Santuzza | Alternative title: Cavalleria rusticana |
| 1954 | Vergine moderna | Claudia Bardi | Alternative title: Modern Virgin |
| 1955 | L'ultimo amante L'ultimo amante L'ultimo amante is a 1955 drama film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Amedeo Nazzari. It was a remake of Mattoli's 1942 film Stasera niente di nuovo.-Cast:* Amedeo Nazzari - Cesare Monti* May Britt - Maria Spanisch* Nino Besozzi - Dr... |
Maria | |
| 1956 | War and Peace War and Peace (1956 film) War and Peace is the first English-language film version of the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is an American/Italian version, directed by King Vidor and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. The music score was by Nino Rota and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff... |
Sonia Rostova | |
| 1958 | The Young Lions The Young Lions The Young Lions is a 1958 war drama film directed by Edward Dmytryk, based upon the 1949 novel of the same name by Irwin Shaw, and starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Dean Martin.-Outline:... |
Gretchen Hardenberg | |
| 1958 | The Hunters | Kristina Abbott | |
| 1959 | The Blue Angel The Blue Angel (1959 film) -Cast:* Curd Jürgens as Professor Immanuel Rath * May Britt as Lola-Lola* Theodore Bikel as Klepert* John Banner as Principal Harter* Fabrizio Mioni as Rolf* Ludwig Stössel as Dr. Fritz Heine* Wolfe Barzell as Clown* Ina Anders as Gussie... |
Lola-Lola | |
| 1960 | Murder, Inc. | Eadie Collins | |
| 1977 | Haunts | Ingrid | Alternative title: The Veil |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Danny Thomas Hour The Danny Thomas Hour The Danny Thomas Hour is an American anthology television series that was broadcast on NBC during the 1967-68 television season.-Synopsis:... |
Anna | 1 episode |
| 1969 | Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in... |
Eva Gollan | 1 episode |
| 1971 | The Most Deadly Game The Most Deadly Game The Most Deadly Game is an American drama television series that ran for 12 episodes on ABC from 1970 to 1971. The series was produced by Aaron Spelling Productions, with Aaron Spelling being the executive producer. It starred Yvette Mimieux , Ralph Bellamy, and George Maharis.... |
Lili | 1 episode |
| The Partners The Partners The Partners is an American sitcom that aired on September 18, 1971 through September 8, 1972 on NBC.-Synopsis:The program featured Don Adams and Rupert Crosse as bumbling detectives... |
1 episode | ||
| 1988 | Probe | Helga | 1 episode |