May Britt (born March 22, 1934,Lidingö, Sweden; name pronounced "My Britt") had a brief career as movie actress in the 1950s, in Italy first and later in the United States. She retired from the screen after she married Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1960. Maybritt Wilkens, as she was known originally, was discovered by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati in 1951. She was an assistant to a Stockholm photographer.

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  • May Britt (born March 22, 1934,Lidingö, Sweden; name pronounced "My Britt") had a brief career as movie actress in the 1950s, in Italy first and later in the United States. She retired from the screen after she married Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1960. Maybritt Wilkens, as she was known originally, was discovered by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati in 1951. She was an assistant to a Stockholm photographer. The two Italians were in Sweden 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. 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 productions. She also featured in the epic War and Peace film of 1956. In the late 1950s, Britt relocated to Hollywood after signing with 20th Century Fox. She starred in a few movies, including The Young Lions with Marlon Brando and Murder, Inc. with Peter Falk, as well as a much-criticized remake of The Blue Angel in the legendary role first created by Marlene Dietrich in 1930. She met Sammy Davis, Jr. , the famous singer and actor, 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 and Robert F. Kennedy told Frank Sinatra to tell Davis not to marry May until after the 1960 Presidential Election. At that time interracial marriage was forbidden by law in 31 U.S. states, and only in 1967 were those laws abolished by the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to the wedding, May Britt converted to Judaism. Once married, Britt left the movies. She and Davis had one daughter and adopted a son. They divorced in 1968 after Davis reportedly had an affair with dancer Lola Falana. After the divorce, May 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. Britt was portrayed by Megan Dodds in the 1998 TV film The Rat Pack, which depicted her marriage to Sammy Davis, Jr. , played by Don Cheadle.
  • May Britt, eigentlich Maybritt Wilkens ist eine ehemalige schwedische Schauspielerin. May Britt gilt als Entdeckung des italienischen Filmproduzenten Carlo Ponti. Zusammen mit dem Regisseur Mario Soldati war dieser 1951 nach Schweden gereist, um eine Hauptdarstellerin für den geplanten Film Lucrezia, die rote Korsarin zu finden. Zu diesem Zweck sichteten sie in einem Stockholmer Fotostudio die Bilder mehrerer Models und trafen dabei auf die Angestellte Maybritt Wilkens, der sie schließlich die Rolle anboten. Unter dem Künstlernamen "May Britt" wurde sie in Italien vornehmlich als kühle blonde Verführerin in eher zweitklassigen Melodramen und Kostümfilmen wie Die Wölfin von Kalabrien und Sizilianische Leidenschaft eingesetzt. Durch ihre Rolle der Sonja Rostova in der in Italien von King Vidor gedrehten Tolstoi-Verfilmung Krieg und Frieden (1956) wurde Britt auch in den USA bekannt und kurz darauf nach Hollywood geholt. Hier war sie neben Marlon Brando in Die jungen Löwen und an der Seite von Robert Mitchum und Robert Wagner in Kampfflieger zu sehen. Anschließend versuchte man, die gebürtige Schwedin in einem Remake des Sternberg-Klassikers Der blaue Engel groß herauszustellen. Doch der von Edward Dmytryk inszenierte Film erwies sich nicht nur in künstlerischer und kommerzieller Hinsicht als Flop, sondern offenbarte auch die begrenzten darstellerischen Fähigkeiten von Britt. 1960 zog sie sich vollkommen vom Filmgeschäft zurück. In diesem Jahr heiratete Britt den Sänger Sammy Davis junior, für den sie kurz zuvor zum Judentum konvertiert war. Die Hochzeit wurde in der Öffentlichkeit und den Medien von rassistischen Untertönen begleitet. Zu dieser Zeit waren so genannte Mischehen in 31 Bundesstaaten der USA durch das „anti-miscegenation law“ ausdrücklich untersagt. Erst 1967 fand diese Praxis durch ein höchstrichterliches Urteil ein Ende. Das Paar hatte eine gemeinsame Tochter und adoptierte zwei Söhne. Nach der Scheidung von Davis im Jahre 1968 nahm Britt ihre Schauspieltätigkeit wieder auf und wirkte in einigen Fernsehserien mit. In Haunts (1977) trat sie das letzte Mal vor eine Filmkamera.
  • May Britt, actriz de origen sueco cuyo nombre verdadero es Maybritt Wilkens, en la década de los 50 tuvo una breve carrera en Italia primeramente y luego en EE. UU. Es famosa por haber protagonizado un bullado enlace matrimonial interracial con el actor y bailarín negro Sammy Davis, Jr. en 1960.
  • May Britt, née Maybritt Wilkens le 22 mars 1933 à Lidingö, comté de Stockholm, en Suède, est une actrice suédoise.
  • May Britt, ou Maybritt Wilkens é uma atriz sueca, que fez breve carreira na Itália, na década de 1950 e, depois, nos Estados Unidos da América. Ficou famosa famosa por haver protagonizado um casamento interracial com o ator e bailarino negro Sammy Davis, Jr. em 1960 Foi modelo e garota-da-capa de muitas publicações. Após imigrar para os Estados Unidos, à procura de um lugar ao sol, a grande oportunidade veio com o papel principal do filme O anjo azul, mesma personagem que Marlene Dietrich havia criado em 1930. Foi descoberta na Suécia e lançada na Itália pelos produtores Carlo Ponti e Mario Soldati, em 1951, tendo trabalhado em cerca de dez produções da Cinecittà. Participou do filme Guerra e Paz, de 1956. Foi para Hollywood após assinar com a 20th Century Fox. Estrelou alguns filmes, e atuou com Marlon Brando e Peter Falk. Conheceu Sammy Davis, Jr. em 1959. Começaram logo a namorar e casaram no dia 13 de novembro de 1960. O casamento causou a controvérsia pois, naquela época, uniões interraciais eram proibidas pela lei em 31 estados dos Estados Unidos. Antes do casamento, Britt converteu-se ao judaísmo. Casada, Britt abandonou os filmes para se dedicar à família. Ela e Sammy Davis, Jr. tiveram uma filha e adotaram dois filhos. Divorciaram-se em 1968, depois que Davis teve um caso com Lola Falana. Após o divórcio, May Britt recomeçou a trabalhar, apresentando-se esporadicamente na televisão, a última vez em 1988. A partir desta data, aposentou-se e passou a dedicar-se principalmente à pintura.
  • May Britt Wilkens, född 12 mars 1934 i Stockholm, svensk skådespelare. Wilkens började arbeta som assistent hos fotograf Uggla på Kungsgatan i Stockholm där hon upptäcktes våren 1951 av Mario Soldati och Carlo Ponti som sökte en pojkflicka till filmen Piratens dotter (Iolanda, la figliga del Corsaro Nero) 1952. Hon fick ett sjuårskontrakt med Twentieth Century Fox. Hon träffade Sammy Davis Jr 1959 och de var gifta 1960–1968. Vigseln väckte en viss uppmärksamhet eftersom det fortfarande var förbjudet med blandäktenskap i 31 amerikanska stater.
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  • May Britt (born March 22, 1934,Lidingö, Sweden; name pronounced "My Britt") had a brief career as movie actress in the 1950s, in Italy first and later in the United States. She retired from the screen after she married Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1960. Maybritt Wilkens, as she was known originally, was discovered by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati in 1951. She was an assistant to a Stockholm photographer.
  • May Britt, eigentlich Maybritt Wilkens ist eine ehemalige schwedische Schauspielerin. May Britt gilt als Entdeckung des italienischen Filmproduzenten Carlo Ponti. Zusammen mit dem Regisseur Mario Soldati war dieser 1951 nach Schweden gereist, um eine Hauptdarstellerin für den geplanten Film Lucrezia, die rote Korsarin zu finden.
  • May Britt, actriz de origen sueco cuyo nombre verdadero es Maybritt Wilkens, en la década de los 50 tuvo una breve carrera en Italia primeramente y luego en EE. UU. Es famosa por haber protagonizado un bullado enlace matrimonial interracial con el actor y bailarín negro Sammy Davis, Jr. en 1960.
  • May Britt, née Maybritt Wilkens le 22 mars 1933 à Lidingö, comté de Stockholm, en Suède, est une actrice suédoise.
  • May Britt, ou Maybritt Wilkens é uma atriz sueca, que fez breve carreira na Itália, na década de 1950 e, depois, nos Estados Unidos da América. Ficou famosa famosa por haver protagonizado um casamento interracial com o ator e bailarino negro Sammy Davis, Jr. em 1960 Foi modelo e garota-da-capa de muitas publicações.
  • May Britt Wilkens, född 12 mars 1934 i Stockholm, svensk skådespelare. Wilkens började arbeta som assistent hos fotograf Uggla på Kungsgatan i Stockholm där hon upptäcktes våren 1951 av Mario Soldati och Carlo Ponti som sökte en pojkflicka till filmen Piratens dotter (Iolanda, la figliga del Corsaro Nero) 1952. Hon fick ett sjuårskontrakt med Twentieth Century Fox. Hon träffade Sammy Davis Jr 1959 och de var gifta 1960–1968.
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  • May Britt
  • May Britt
  • May Britt
  • May Britt
  • May Britt
  • May Britt
  • May Britt Wilkens
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