May Britt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
May Britt
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Britt in the 1960s
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| Born |
May Britt Wilkens
22 March 1934 Stockholm, Sweden
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1952–1988 |
| Spouse(s) |
Edwin Gregson
(m. 1958; div. 1959)Lennart Ringquist
(m. 1993; |
| Children | 3 |
May Britt (born May Britt Wilkens on March 22, 1934) is a Swedish former actress. She had a short but interesting career in the 1950s, first in Italy and then in the United States. She was married to the famous American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. from 1960 to 1968.
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Becoming an Actress
May Britt was discovered when she was a teenager in 1951. Two Italian filmmakers, Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati, found her while they were looking for a young blonde actress. At the time, she was working as an assistant to a photographer in Stockholm, Sweden.
The filmmakers visited the studio where she worked to look at photos of models. When they met May Britt, they offered her a main role in their movie, Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair. She then moved to Rome, Italy, and started her acting career in 1952.
May Britt went on to star in about ten movies made at Cinecittà, a famous film studio in Rome. She also appeared in the big movie War and Peace in 1956.
In the late 1950s, May Britt moved to Hollywood in the United States. She signed a contract with 20th Century Fox, a major film studio. She acted in several American movies, including The Young Lions (1958) with Marlon Brando. She also appeared in The Hunters (1958) and Murder, Inc. (1960). She also starred in a new version of The Blue Angel (1959).
Life and Family
May Britt married a college student named Edwin J. Gregson in 1958. They divorced in 1959.
She met Sammy Davis Jr. in 1959. They started dating and got married on November 13, 1960. Their wedding was a big event and caused some discussion at the time. This was because, in 1960, laws in many U.S. states did not allow people of different races to marry. These laws were later found to be against the U.S. Constitution in 1967. Before her wedding, May Britt became Jewish.
After she married Sammy Davis Jr., May Britt decided to stop making movies. She focused on her family.
May Britt and Sammy Davis Jr. had a daughter named Tracey Davis, who was born in 1961. They also adopted two sons, Mark Sidney Davis (born 1960) and Jeff (born 1963).
May Britt and Sammy Davis Jr. divorced in 1968. After her divorce, May Britt made a few guest appearances on television shows until 1988. Since then, she has been retired from acting. She enjoys painting and lives in California. Her third husband, Lennart Ringquist, passed away in 2017.
Movies and TV Shows
May Britt appeared in many films and television shows during her career.
Selected Films
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | The Unfaithfuls | Liliana Capacci Rodgers |
| 1953 | Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair | Jolanda |
| 1953 | Fatal Desire | Santuzza |
| 1953 | La lupa | Maria Maricchia |
| 1953 | Funniest Show on Earth | Brigitte, la domatrice |
| 1953 | The Ship of Condemned Women | Consuelo |
| 1954 | Vergine moderna | Claudia Bardi |
| 1955 | Give 'em Hell | Gina |
| 1955 | L'ultimo amante | Maria Spanisch |
| 1955 | Revelation | Nadia Ulianova |
| 1956 | War and Peace | Sonya Rostova |
| 1958 | The Young Lions | Gretchen Hardenberg |
| 1958 | The Hunters | Kristina Abbott |
| 1959 | The Blue Angel | Lola-Lola |
| 1960 | Murder, Inc. | Eadie Collins |
| 1976 | Haunts | Ingrid |
Selected Television Shows
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Danny Thomas Hour | Anna |
| 1969 | Mission: Impossible | Eva Gollan |
| 1971 | The Most Deadly Game | Lili |
| The Partners | ||
| 1988 | Probe | Helga |
See also
In Spanish: May Britt (actriz) para niños
