May Britt, the Swedish actress whose promising Hollywood career was overshadowed by her groundbreaking interracial marriage to Rat Pack star Sammy Davis Jr., died December 11, 2025, at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center. She was 91 years old.
Her son Mark Davis confirmed she died of natural causes at the Los Angeles medical facility.
Born Majbritt Wilkens on March 22, 1934, in Lidingö, Sweden, Britt was discovered at 18 years old by renowned Italian producer Carlo Ponti. The encounter launched her into European cinema before she signed with 20th Century Fox in 1957.
Her Hollywood breakthrough came with starring roles opposite Robert Mitchum in “The Hunters” and Marlon Brando in “The Young Lions,” both released in 1958. The following year, she captivated audiences in “The Blue Angel,” a remake of the classic drama.
In 1960, she appeared in the gangster film “Murder Inc.”
Britt’s life changed dramatically when she met Sammy Davis Jr. The couple announced their engagement in 1960.
Their relationship sparked immediate controversy in an America where 31 states banned interracial marriage. Fox did not renew her contract after the engagement became public.
Britt converted to Judaism before their wedding, which was held on November 13, 1960, at Davis’ Los Angeles home. Frank Sinatra served as best man at the ceremony.
The wedding was postponed until after the 1960 election at the request of those close to presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Despite Davis having campaigned for Kennedy, the couple was disinvited from the inauguration after his victory.
The couple received death threats during their marriage, forcing them to employ security for protection.
In July 1961, their daughter Tracey Davis was born. The couple later adopted sons Mark and Jeff.
The marriage ended in December 1968. However, their daughter Tracey later told the Los Angeles Times that her parents never fell out of love.
“I just couldn’t be what she wanted to me to be. A family man. My performance schedule was rigorous,” Davis explained to his daughter about the divorce.
After the divorce, Britt made periodic television appearances. In 1993, she married Lennart Ringquist, who died in 2017.
Tragedy struck when daughter Tracey Davis died in 2020 at 59.
Her marriage to Davis represented a watershed moment in American social history. At a time when interracial unions remained criminalized across much of the nation, their relationship challenged deeply entrenched prejudices and helped advance the civil rights movement.
Reflecting on her choices decades later, Britt said: “I loved Sammy, and I had the chance to marry the man I loved.”
Britt is survived by her sons Mark and Jeff. Her legacy extends beyond her film career to her role in one of America’s most significant interracial marriages, which helped pave the way for the Supreme Court’s eventual ruling against anti-miscegenation laws.
