May Britt, Swedish Actress and Sammy Davis Jr.’s Ex-Wife, Dies at 91

May Britt, the Swedish actress who married Sammy Davis Jr. and became a visible figure in mid‑century entertainment, died Dec. 11 in Los Angeles. She was 91. Britt died of natural causes at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, her son Mark Davis told The Hollywood Reporter.

Born Maj-Britt Wilkens on the island of Lidingö in 1934, Britt was discovered by Italian filmmakers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati at 18. She appeared in several Italian films before signing with 20th Century Fox in 1957. She starred in The Hunters (1958) and played Marlon Brando’s love interest in The Young Lions. Her breakout came as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, a role long considered for Marilyn Monroe before she declined it. Britt’s last major feature was Murder, Inc. (1960), in which she portrayed Eadie Collins. Britt married her first husband, Edwin Gregson, in 1958, but the couple divorced a year later. The actress first met Davis after he performed at the Mocambo in Los Angeles, and the couple announced their engagement in June 1960, sparking fierce backlash at a time when interracial marriage was illegal in 31 states. The pair wed in November 1960 when Britt was 26 and Davis was 34, and the interracial nuptials drew national attention. Davis was briefly disinvited from John F. Kennedy’s presidential inauguration after supporting Kennedy’s campaign, and the couple faced death threats, prompting 24‑hour security protection. Britt gave birth to their daughter, Tracey, in July 1961 and the couple later adopted two sons, Jeff and Mark.

Britt and Davis divorced in December 1968 amid rumors of an affair between Davis and dancer Lola Falana. Britt later married Lennart Ringquist in 1993, a union that lasted until Ringquist’s death in 2017. She is survived by her two sons, Jeff and Mark, a sister, Mary, and grandchildren. Her daughter Tracey died in 2020 at age 59. Britt’s career continued to be cited as a bridge between European cinema and American pop culture, a reminder of the complicated histories surrounding Hollywood’s international stars and the era’s civil rights struggles.

As a public figure who navigated fame, romance, and politics at a pivotal moment in American culture, May Britt’s life reflects the broader currents of mid‑century entertainment: a European star who became part of the Rat Pack era’s domestic and international reach, and whose personal story intersected with the era’s ongoing conversations about race, marriage, and celebrity.