What did Sammy Davis Jr do as a kid? Was Sammy Davis Jr educated?

Sammy Davis Jr. was born on December 8, 1925, in New York City, U.S. His parents were both vaudeville performers, and he joined them as a child artist in the Will Mastin Trio at the age of three.

Sammy Davis Jr did not receive a formal education, as he was performing from a young age. His biggest hit, “The Candy Man”, reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1972.

In 1944, during World War II, Sammy Davis Jr was drafted into the U.S. Army at age 18. Davis earned the American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal and was discharged in 1945 with the rank of private.

In 1958, Sammy Davis Jr was hired to crown the winner of the Miss Cavalcade of Jazz beauty contest for the famed fourteenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert.  In 1960, he appeared in the Rat Pack film Ocean’s 11.

Sammy Davis Jr was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for his television performances.