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May Britt, the Swedish-born actress whose Hollywood career and personal life placed her at the center of one of America’s most controversial interracial marriages, has died at 91.
Her son, Mark Davis, confirmed that she died of natural causes on December 11 at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Born Maj-Britt Wilkens on March 22, 1934, in Lidingö outside Stockholm, she grew up far from the glamour of international cinema.
Her route into acting began unexpectedly while she worked as an assistant to a photographer in Stockholm. In the early 1950s, she was discovered by Italian filmmakers Mario Soldati and Carlo Ponti, who were searching for a fresh, unconventional young actress.
She made her film debut in Italy in adventure and drama projects, including Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair (1953), and quickly became a familiar presence in European cinema. Her Italian work later led to a role in King Vidor’s lavish 1956 adaptation of War and Peace, starring Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda.
That performance drew the attention of Buddy Adler, head of 20th Century Fox, who offered her a long-term studio contract.
Britt relocated to Hollywood in the late 1950s and soon found herself cast opposite major stars. She appeared with Robert Mitchum in the Korean War drama The Hunters (1958) and played a romantic interest to Marlon Brando in The Young Lions (1958). Her breakthrough came in Edward Dmytryk’s 1959 remake of The Blue Angel, where she took on the iconic role of cabaret performer Lola-Lola, famously portrayed by Marlene Dietrich in the original. That same year, she appeared on the cover of Life magazine, celebrated as a star with a striking new style.
Marrying Sammy Davis Jr.
In 1960, she starred in Murder, Inc., but her rising career soon collided with the social realities of the era. Britt married Edwin J. Gregson, an American real estate heir, in 1958, but the marriage ended the following year. In 1959, she met entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., and their relationship quickly became headline news.
The couple married in November 1960 after Britt converted to Judaism. Their union provoked intense controversy across the United States, where interracial marriage remained illegal in many states.
Despite the pressure, Britt later said she never regretted her choice. She stepped away from acting to focus on family life. The couple welcomed a daughter, Tracey, in 1961, and later adopted two sons, Mark and Jeff. Although their home was shaped by outside hostility, their daughter later recalled it as a place filled with love.
One rumor that has persisted is that President Kennedy refused to allow Sammy Davis Jr. to perform at his inauguration. Davis, a devoted Democrat who supported Kennedy during the 1960 campaign, was initially scheduled to appear, only to be denied because of his marriage to Britt, according to Tracey’s 2014 book.
“It was disappointing, but I was prepared for anything, I knew what I was getting into,” Britt said in her daughter’s book.
After the divorce
Britt and Davis separated in 1967 and divorced the following year, amid reports of Davis’s demanding career and personal strains.
After the divorce, Britt returned briefly to acting, appearing in television series such as Mission: Impossible and The Danny Thomas Hour, and starring in the horror film Haunts (1976). Her final screen appearance came in 1988.
In later years, Britt lived quietly in California, devoting herself to painting and family life. In 1993, she married Lennart Ringquist, an entertainment executive and horse breeder, and they remained together until his death in 2017. She was portrayed by Megan Dodds in the 1998 television film The Rat Pack.
Remembered both for her film work and for the courage she showed in defying social barriers, May Britt holds a distinct place in Hollywood history—not only as a screen star, but as a woman whose personal choices challenged the prejudices of her era.
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