# May Britt
**May Britt** was the stage name of Maj-Britt Wilkens (22 March 1934 – 11 December 2025), a Swedish actress who worked in Italian cinema in the 1950s and later in Hollywood, and who became known to a wide public through her 1960 marriage to the American entertainer [Sammy Davis Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/sammy-davis-jr)[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) Her films include *War and Peace* (1956), *[The Young Lions](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-young-lions)* (1958), *The Hunters* (1958), *The Blue Angel* (1959), and *Murder, Inc.* (1960).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/may_britt)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and place | Maj-Britt Wilkens, born 22 March 1934 on Lidingö, an island near Stockholm, Sweden[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) |
| Discovery | Spotted in 1951, while working as a photographer's assistant in Stockholm, by the Italian producer Carlo Ponti and director Mario Soldati[4](https://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/l%C3%A5ng/may-britt-wilkens) |
| Film debut | Lead role in *Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair* (1953)[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) |
| Hollywood studio contract | Signed with 20th Century Fox in 1957; best-known roles include Lola-Lola in *The Blue Angel* (1959)[5](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/tt-251219-maybrittwilkens1-c63d1696/may-britt-wilkens-dod) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/may_britt) |
| Marriage to Sammy Davis Jr. | 13 November 1960 to 1968; one daughter, Tracey, and two adopted sons, Mark and Jeff[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) |
| Later marriages | Edwin Gregson (1958–1959); Lennart Ringquist (1993 until his death in January 2017)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110067/bio/) |
| Death | 11 December 2025, of natural causes, at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Los Angeles, aged 91[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) |
## Early life and discovery in Sweden
Wilkens was born on Lidingö, an island connected to Stockholm by a bridge, into a small family: her father, Hugo Brigg-Wilkens, was a postal clerk, and her mother was a housewife.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110067/bio/) In a 1955 autobiographical account published in the Italian magazine *Tempo*, she described trying and abandoning a series of jobs before taking a position at the Uggla photographic studio in Stockholm.[7](https://tototruffa2002.it/galleria-multimediale/articoli-d-epoca-altri-artisti-e-altri-temi/may-britt/1955-may-britt-la-civetta-mi-ha-portato-fortuna.html)
In 1951, the producer [Carlo Ponti](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlo-ponti) and the director Mario Soldati came to Sweden looking for a young blonde actress for the film *Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair*, and visited the studio where she worked to view photographs of models.[4](https://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/l%C3%A5ng/may-britt-wilkens) They chose her instead, she took the stage name May Britt, and she moved to Rome.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) Her own account records that she signed a seven-year contract after a family council at which her initially reluctant parents consented.[7](https://tototruffa2002.it/galleria-multimediale/articoli-d-epoca-altri-artisti-e-altri-temi/may-britt/1955-may-britt-la-civetta-mi-ha-portato-fortuna.html)
## Italian and Hollywood career
Britt made her film debut as the leading actress in *Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair* (1953) and worked in roughly ten [Cinecittà](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinecitta) productions during the 1950s.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110067/bio/) Her part in [King Vidor](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-vidor)'s 1956 epic *War and Peace*, starring [Audrey Hepburn](https://www.edgepedia.org/audrey-hepburn) and Henry Fonda, in which she played Sonya Rostov, caught the attention of the head of 20th Century Fox, Buddy Adler, and led to a studio contract.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110067/)
**Hollywood roles.** After signing with Fox in 1957 and moving to the United States, she played Gretchen Hardenberg opposite [Marlon Brando](https://www.edgepedia.org/marlon-brando) in the World War II drama *The Young Lions* (1958) and Kristina Abbott, a pilot's wife, opposite [Robert Mitchum](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-mitchum) in the [Korean War](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-war) drama *The Hunters* (1958).[5](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/tt-251219-maybrittwilkens1-c63d1696/may-britt-wilkens-dod) • [3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) Her breakthrough came as Lola-Lola, the cabaret entertainer played by Marlene Dietrich in the 1930 original, in the 1959 remake *The Blue Angel*; her performance received favorable reviews.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110067/bio/) In 1960 she appeared as Eadie Collins in the gangster film *Murder, Inc.*, alongside Peter Falk.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) The same year, she appeared on the cover of *Life* magazine under the headline "May Britt: Star With a New Style".[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91)
## Marriage to Sammy Davis Jr.
In 1959, Britt met Sammy Davis Jr., then one of the biggest stars in the United States, while she was filming *The Blue Angel*; the two began a relationship and he proposed.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) • [9](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/hollywood-loved-sammy-davis-jr-until-he-dated-white-movie-star-180964395/) Britt converted to Judaism before the wedding.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) The marriage was planned for 1960, but Davis, who had campaigned for [John F. Kennedy](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-f-kennedy)'s presidential bid, reportedly agreed to postpone it until after the election at Kennedy's request, because a wedding between a Black entertainer and a white Swedish actress would have been controversial in the 31 states where interracial marriage was still illegal.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) They married on 13 November 1960, five days after the election, with Davis's Rat Pack colleague [Frank Sinatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-sinatra) as best man.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) • [10](https://omni.se/svenska-skadespelaren-may-britt-wilkens-ar-dod/a/16nkvB)
The backlash was severe. The couple received death threats and hired 24-hour armed guards, and their daughter Tracey later described graffiti on the family car and searches for bombs.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) • [1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) According to Tracey Davis's 2014 book *Sammy Davis Jr.: A Personal History with My Father*, Kennedy dropped Davis from an inauguration party hosted by Sinatra after the wedding.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) No other prominent interracial marriage of the period received as much publicity.[9](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/hollywood-loved-sammy-davis-jr-until-he-dated-white-movie-star-180964395/)
**End of the studio career.** After the marriage Britt stopped acting; Fox declined to renew her contract and her studio career ended.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) She later said she did not regret the loss of her career, telling *Vanity Fair* in 1999, "I loved Sammy and I had the chance to marry the man I loved."[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) The couple had a daughter, Tracey, born in 1961, and adopted two sons, Mark and Jeff, living in a Beverly Hills mansion once owned by the *Gone with the Wind* producer [David O. Selznick](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-o-selznick).[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) • [11](https://parade.com/news/may-britt-wife-sammy-davis-jr-dies-blue-angel-91) They separated in 1967 and divorced in 1968, amid rumors of an affair between Davis and the dancer [Lola Falana](https://www.edgepedia.org/lola-falana).[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91)
## Later life
After the divorce Britt returned to acting in smaller television roles, in episodes of *The Danny Thomas Hour*, *Mission: Impossible* (1969), *The Most Deadly Game*, and *The Partners*, and starred in the 1976 horror film *Haunts*.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) • [3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) Her final screen role, per IMDb, was in a 1988 episode of the science-fiction detective series *Probe*.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91)
Her first marriage, to the aspiring actor and later horse trainer Edwin Gregson, lasted from 1958 to 1959.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) In 1993 she married Lennart Ringquist, an entertainment executive and horse breeder, who died in January 2017.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110067/bio/) In later years she devoted her time to painting.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110067/bio/)
Britt died on 11 December 2025 of natural causes at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Los Angeles, aged 91; her son Mark Davis confirmed the death to *The Hollywood Reporter*.[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) Her daughter Tracey had died in November 2020 at the age of 59.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91)
## Note on her birth year
Most obituaries and reference works give her birth date as 22 March 1934,[3](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html) but some databases, including NNDB and the *Dictionary of Women Worldwide*, list 22 March 1933.[12](https://www.nndb.com/people/403/000173881/) • [13](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/britt-may-1933) The 1934 date is the one used by her obituaries in *The Guardian*, *The Independent*, and the Swedish encyclopedia *Nationalencyklopedin*.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91) • [4](https://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/l%C3%A5ng/may-britt-wilkens)
## References
1. [May Britt, Swedish actor and former wife of Sammy Davis Jr, dies aged 91, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/19/may-britt-swedish-actor-dies-aged-91)
2. [May Britt Movies List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/may_britt)
3. [May Britt death: ex-wife of Sammy Davis Jr. dies aged 91, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/may-britt-death-age-sammy-davis-jr-b2887980.html)
4. [Wilkens, May Britt, Nationalencyklopedin](https://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/l%C3%A5ng/may-britt-wilkens)
5. [May Britt Wilkens död, TV4/TT](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/tt-251219-maybrittwilkens1-c63d1696/may-britt-wilkens-dod)
6. [May Britt – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110067/bio/)
7. [May Britt: «La "civetta" mi ha portato fortuna», Tempo, 24 March 1955 (archived)](https://tototruffa2002.it/galleria-multimediale/articoli-d-epoca-altri-artisti-e-altri-temi/may-britt/1955-may-britt-la-civetta-mi-ha-portato-fortuna.html)
8. [May Britt, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110067/)
9. [Hollywood Loved Sammy Davis Jr. Until He Dated a White Movie Star, Smithsonian Magazine](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/hollywood-loved-sammy-davis-jr-until-he-dated-white-movie-star-180964395/)
10. [Svenska skådespelaren May Britt Wilkens är död, Omni/TT](https://omni.se/svenska-skadespelaren-may-britt-wilkens-ar-dod/a/16nkvB)
11. [Sammy Davis Jr.'s Wife May Britt Dies; 'Blue Angel' Star Was 91, Parade](https://parade.com/news/may-britt-wife-sammy-davis-jr-dies-blue-angel-91)
12. [May Britt, NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/403/000173881/)
13. [Britt, May (1933–), Dictionary of Women Worldwide via Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/britt-may-1933)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Nordic actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license