May Britt, actress and former wife of Sammy Davis Jr, dies aged 91

She began as a shy young woman in Sweden, plucked from a photography studio and thrust into European cinema, then Hollywood. Sharing the screen with giants like Marlon Brando and Robert Mitchum, May Britt seemed destined for a glittering, uncomplicated stardom. Instead, she chose a path that would test every part of her courage: loving Sammy Davis Jr. in a country still fighting over who had the right to marry whom.

The price was brutal. Studio contracts vanished, invitations were withdrawn, and even the White House reportedly kept its distance. Yet inside their home, she built something tender and defiant — a family grounded in love, not fear. After their marriage ended, she quietly reinvented herself as an artist, a mother, and later a wife again, far from the spotlight that once burned her. At 91, May Britt leaves behind more than films; she leaves a legacy of quiet, stubborn bravery.