Sammy Davis, Junior, 1965, by Philippe Halsman

Sammy Davis, Junior, 1965, by Philippe Halsman

Sammy Davis, Junior, 1965, by Philippe Halsman

(December 8, 1925 - May 16, 1990) was an American singer, musician, dancer, actor, vaudevillian and comedian. He was noted for his impressions of actors, musicians and other celebrities. At the age of three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father, Sammy Davis Sr. And the Will Mastin Trio, which toured nationally.

Davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's (in West Hollywood) after the 1951 Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a recording artist. In 1954, he lost his left eye in a car accident, and several years later, he converted to Judaism, finding commonalities between the oppression experienced by African-American and Jewish communities. Davis's film career began as a child in 1933. In 1960, he appeared in the Rat Pack film Ocean's 11.

In 1966 he had his own TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis Jr. Davis's career slowed in the late 1960s, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man" in 1972 and became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname "Mister Show Business". Davis was a victim of racism throughout his life, particularly during the pre-Civil Rights era, and was a large financial supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. Davis had a complex relationship with the black community, and drew criticism after publicly supporting President Richard Nixon in 1972. Original silver print 14 x 11 with Halsman's stamp on the reverse.

Philippe Halsman (1906 - 1979) was a Latvian-born American portrait photographer. Born to a Jewish family in Riga, Halsman studied electrical engineering in Dresden. In 1930 Halsman relocated to Paris and began his career as a portrait photographer. In 1932 he opened his first studio and merely two years later his work began appearing in magazines such as Vogue. In 1941 Halsman met the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and they began to collaborate in the late 1940s. In 1942 he found work with Life Magazine photographing hat designs and went on to photograph many celebrities. In 1951 Halsman was commissioned by NBC to photograph various popular comedians of the time. This item is in the category "Art\Art Photographs". The seller is "moosemedicine" and is located in this country: US.

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Sammy Davis, Junior, 1965, by Philippe Halsman


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