May Britt

May Britt, the Swedish actress whose international film work in the 1950s and high-profile marriage to entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. made her a symbol of both Hollywood's golden era and the social struggles of her time, died December 11, 2025. She was 91. She died of natural causes at a hospital in Tarzana, California.

Born Maj-Britt Wilkens in Lidingö, Sweden, Britt began her career far from the spotlight. While working as a photographer's assistant in Stockholm, she was discovered by Italian filmmakers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati as a teenager and cast in her first film in Rome.

She built a European film career in a string of Italian productions before moving to Hollywood in the late 1950s after signing with 20th Century Fox. There, she appeared in notable films including "The Young Lions" (1958) opposite Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, "The Hunters" (1958), and the 1959 remake of "The Blue Angel," in which she played the cabaret performer Lola-Lola.

Britt's career and personal life intersected with one of the most contentious social issues of mid-20th century America when she became engaged to-and later married-Sammy Davis Jr. in 1960, a union that sparked intense public and political reaction because interracial marriage was still illegal in many U.S. states at the time.

Britt and Davis had one daughter, Tracey, and they adopted two sons, Mark and Jeff. Britt was in the spotlight during the years of their marriage due to her decision to convert to Judaism before the wedding and the couple's determination to be together in the face of threats and backlash. Britt and Davis divorced in 1968.

After her marriage, Britt stepped back from film, and 20th Century Fox chose not to renew her contract. She later took on occasional television roles, including appearances on "Mission: Impossible" and other series throughout the late 1960s and 1970s. Her final credited screen work was in 1988.

In later years, Britt married Lennart Ringquist in 1993; he predeceased her in 2017. She is survived by her sons, her sister Margot, and her grandchildren.

By Legacy News Staff

(Image: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)