May Britt, Swedish Actress of The Young Lions, Dies
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, May Britt, the Swedish actress who rose to fame in the 1950s and 1960s, died on December 11 in Los Angeles. Her son, Mark Davis, has confirmed that she passed away at the age of 91.
Britt was targeted by racist attacks in 1960 when she married Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. She is best known for films such as The Blue Angel and Murder, Inc., but also appeared in War and Peace (1956) alongside Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda, The Young Lions with Marlon Brando, and The Hunters with Robert Mitchum and Robert Wagner.
Italian producer Carlo Ponti discovered Britt when she was 18 years old. She met Davis in Los Angeles and became engaged to him in June 1960. Their relationship began at a time when interracial marriage was illegal in 31 U.S. states.
Britt’s daughter, Tracey Davis, claimed in her book Sammy Davis: A Personal Journey With My Father that Frank Sinatra, another member of the Rat Pack, had asked the couple to delay their wedding. Sinatra, who had close ties to John F. Kennedy, reportedly wanted them not to marry before the election, even though invitations had already been sent. Davis, a supporter of Kennedy, ultimately agreed.
Britt and Davis welcomed their daughter in 1961 and separated in 1968. In later years, Britt appeared in several projects, including episodes of the television series Mission: Impossible and The Most Deadly Game.
