She became a lightning rod for America — and her life tells a story about fame, love and the upheaval of social boundaries.
May Britt, the Swedish-born actress best known for her marriage to Sammy Davis Jr., has died at 91. Her son, Mark Davis, told the Hollywood Reporter that she passed away 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 stumbled into acting by chance. While working as a photographer’s assistant in Stockholm, she was noticed by Italian filmmakers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati and cast as the lead in the 1953 Italian adventure film Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair. That role opened the door to a run of Italian pictures, and then to a part in King Vidor’s lavish 1956 adaptation of War and Peace, which also featured Audrey Hepburn.
Her turn in War and Peace caught the attention of Buddy Adler, the head of 20th Century Fox, and she signed with the studio. Britt moved to the United States in the late 1950s and appeared opposite major stars: Marlon Brando in The Young Lions and Robert Mitchum in The Hunters. Her breakthrough came in 1959 playing the cabaret performer Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel — the role that helped establish her as a rising star. That same year she graced the cover of Life magazine under the headline “May Britt: Star With a New Style.”
In her personal life, Britt married real estate heir Edward Gregson in 1958, but the marriage ended quickly and they separated late in 1959. She met entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. later that year, and they married in November 1960 after Britt converted to Judaism.
But here’s where it gets controversial: interracial marriage was still illegal in most U.S. states at the time, and the Britt–Davis union provoked intense backlash. The couple faced hostile press, harassment and death threats. Davis, who had campaigned for John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential race, agreed to delay their wedding until after the election to avoid stirring controversy during the campaign. After Kennedy’s victory, the newlyweds were disinvited from the 1961 inauguration gala — an action the administration said was taken so as not to alienate conservative members of Congress. That move left many wondering whether political expediency had trumped principle.
And this is the part most people miss: the hostility went beyond headlines. In a 2014 interview with CBS, the Davises’ daughter Tracey recalled the real danger and fear the family endured: “It was very difficult … there were death threats, there were bad words written on our car, they looked for bombs, we had armed guards.”
The social fallout had a profound effect on Britt’s career. After she married, 20th Century Fox chose not to renew her contract, effectively ending her studio trajectory. Tracey later said her mother “threw herself into her family,” and that her professional life as an actress had come to an abrupt halt. Britt herself said she didn’t regret the change: in a 1999 Vanity Fair interview she explained, “I loved Sammy and I had the chance to marry the man I loved.”
Britt and Davis were together for seven years. They had a daughter, Tracey, born in 1961, and they also adopted two sons, Mark and Jeff. Tracey has been quoted describing a warm home: “there was a lot of love in the house.” The couple separated in 1967 and divorced in 1968 amid rumors of Davis’s involvement with the dancer Lola Falana.
After the divorce, Britt returned to acting, though not to the same level of stardom. She took smaller television roles — appearing on programs such as The Danny Thomas Hour, Mission: Impossible, The Most Deadly Game and The Partners — and starred in the 1976 horror film Haunts. According to IMDb, her last screen credit was a 1988 appearance on the sci-fi/detective series Probe.
In 1993 she married Lennart Ringquist, an entertainment executive and horse breeder; he passed away in January 2017.
May Britt is survived by her sons Mark and Jeff, her sister Margot, and grandchildren Andrew, Ryan, Sam, Montana, Greer and Chase. Her daughter Tracey died in November 2020 at age 59.
Controversial point: some observers argue that Hollywood and political figures effectively punished Britt for marrying across racial lines — others say the reactions reflected the prevailing social tensions of the era rather than deliberate institutional targeting. Which interpretation feels more accurate to you? Was Britt’s career sacrificed because of public pressure, personal choice, or a mix of both? Share your thoughts — do you see parallels today when public figures challenge social norms?
