Who Is Sammy Davis Jr’s Son, Mark Sydney Davis?

Mark Sydney Davis is the son of Sammy Davis Jr. Mark’s father Sammy was an American singer, actor, comedian, and dancer. He had his TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. He is known for his biggest hit, “The Candy Man”. He was a core member of the famed ‘Rat Pack’ alongside Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

Mark Sydney Davis: Bio Summary

Mark Sydney Davis was born in 1960. He will be turning 63 years old after celebrating his birthday in 2023. He was adopted on 4 June 1963 by American singer, actor, comedian, and dancer, Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) and his ex-wife Swedish-born actress May Britt (born May Britt Wilkens).

Samuel Davis Jr and May Britt married on 13 November 1960 but they divorced in 1968 after Samuel cheated on May with singer, dancer, and actress Lola Falana. Mark has one brother Jeff Davis who was also adopted and a sister Tracey Davis (July 5, 1961 – November 2, 2020). He also has a half-brother Manny Davis.

Manny is the adopted son of Mark’s father Sammy Davis Jr and his third and last wife entertainer, and dancer Altovise Joanne Davis (née Gore). Mark and his siblings are close to each other. His paternal grandfather was entertainer and stage performer Samuel George Davis Sr. (December 12, 1900 – May 21, 1988).

Mark’s paternal grandmother Elvera “Baby” Sanchez Davis (September 1, 1905 – September 2, 2000) was a tap dancer and stage performer. Mark graduated from George Whittell High School, near Lake Tahoe, Nevada. He worked as an assistant stage manager for his father Sammy Davis Jr. He works as a photo clerk at Costco.

Mark Sydney Davis has his own family. He is a married man and the father of two sons Ryan and Andy Davis. Mark’s son Ryan Davis is a natural drummer. Mark has lived quietly and out of the public eye. His father Sammy Davis Jr died of complications from throat cancer at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on May 16, 1990, at age 64.

Mark Davis’ Biological Father

Mark Sydney Davis is said to be the biological son of Sammy Davis Jr. Although Sammy Jr made everyone know that Mark was adopted, his name appears as Mark’s biological father on his birth certificate. Before he passed away, on his deathbed, he told Mark: ‘You are my son.’

ALSO, READ: Manny Davis: Who Is Sammy Davis Jr’s Son?

Mark told Daily Mail Online: “I am a huge living question mark and that is because I have never understood anything 100 per cent about where I came from.” Mark’s birth certificate also listed May Britt as his biological mother but May told Mark Davis that she isn’t the woman who gave birth to him.

According to Mark, he had been told several times by those close to Sammy Davis Jr that he was Sammy’s real son. “If I am Dad’s natural son, and I believe very much that could be the case, then there could have been many reasons why I was put down as adopted. Maybe it was the whole showbiz thing and the scandal it might cause or the color thing or even that my natural mother’s identity had to remain secret too,” Mark said.

“Dad was very loving when I was a kid, but being adopted never made sense to me as Dad and Mum had a daughter Tracey who is a year younger than me. Why would they adopt an older child after having Tracey? Dad was a great photographer and a coffee table book has been released of his pictures. But there are no pictures of me before the age of two.”

“I don’t know anything about those two years. Nobody can tell me anything. Was I brought in by dad from hiding after that because the heat died down? I just don’t know.” Mark added: “Dad did things with us, like taking us to Hawaii and Disneyland. He would goof around with us like having running races along hotel lobbies or jump into swimming pools with the kids, even though he couldn’t swim.“

“He would wear a floating aid and swim from one side to the other holding his breath in one go and it would make us laugh. But the thing with Dad was that he was always preoccupied. You were never really with him for long and he was continually surrounded by people. I met a lot of famous people like Uncle Frank [Sinatra] or Michael Jackson who would ask Dad to show him some moves.”

After Mark Sydney Davis’ parents, Sammy Davis Jr and May Britt got divorced, Mark’s relationship with his father Sammy became distant. Mark even got into a life of heavy drinking and became an alcoholic. “I was partying my ass off. I drank heavily and was probably trying to be like him I suppose. I was out of control. Luckily, I grew out of it after rehab three times.”

ALSO, READ: Loray White: Everything About Sammy Davis Jr’s Ex-wife

However, Mark was able to overcome his drinking problems. His father Sammy Davis Jr attempted to steal his girlfriend. He said: “I was dating her. He wanted her, he couldn’t get that girl and he got jealous. I was 37 years old and because of that rejection, he never talked to me for at least eight months. It was ridiculous because he could have pretty much had any woman that he wanted.”

Mark shared that he didn’t see his father much in his last years but he was at his side when he died. Meanwhile, a DNA test was conducted to prove if Mark was the real son of Sammy Davis Jr. When Mark and his sister Tracey (the biological child of Sammy Davis Jr and May Britt) took the DNA test, it came out that they were not biologically related.

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