Sammy Davis, Jr. aka Photographer


Book Cover, Photography by Sammy Davis Jr.Did you know that the legendary actor, musician, comedian/entertainer, singer Sammy Davis, Jr. was also a photography enthusiast?

A quick browse through the photography book, Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr. shows that the reach of his marvelous talent also extended through the photographic lens. Documenting his personal life, Sammy shot photos of his fellow Rat Pack crew members Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra; Hollywood icons like James Dean, Nat “King” Cole and Marilyn Monroe; plus politicians like Robert Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.

The book’s co-author Burt Boyar writes that Sammy’s camera often served as a shield” to gain access to places he couldn’t because of his color. Again quoting Davis, ‘Nobody interrupts a man taking a picture to ask… ‘What’s that nigger doin’ here?’ “As an entertainer and photographer, Davis was able to enter into many worlds.” – From Publishers Weekly, Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

And in case you didn’t know… Sammy, a convert to Judaism, was born to a Puerto Rican mother and an African-American father – talk about a multi-cultural American!

See sample photographs and buy the book, Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr. on Amazon.

Thanks to photographer David W. Sumner who tweeted this book to my attention today – follow him on Twitter @davidwsumner.

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