Altovise Davis

Altovise Davis
Davis in 2007
Born
Altovise Joanne Gore

August 30, 1943[1]
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedMarch 14, 2009(2009-03-14) (aged 65)[2]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Entertainer, dancer
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1970; died 1990)​

Altovise Joanne Davis (née Gore; August 30, 1943 – March 14, 2009)[1][2] was an American entertainer, best known for being Sammy Davis Jr.'s third wife.

Early life

Altovise Joanne Gore was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and raised in Brooklyn, New York.

Career

A life member of The Actors Studio,[3] Gore worked during the 1960s as a chorus-line dancer in various musical shows both in London and on Broadway.[citation needed]

In the 1970s and 1980s, she made a few guest appearances in major TV series such as Charlie's Angels and CHiPs and minor roles in films such as Welcome to Arrow Beach (1974), Kingdom of the Spiders (1977), Boardwalk (1979), and Can't Stop the Music (1980).

Both she and her husband, Sammy Davis Jr., were frequent panelists on the 1970s television game show Tattletales.[citation needed]

Personal life

In 1968, Gore began a relationship with Sammy Davis Jr.. They were married on May 11, 1970, by Reverend Jesse Jackson and adopted a son, Manny, in 1989.[4][5] The couple remained married until Sammy Davis Jr.'s death in 1990.[6]

Long saddled with tax problems following the death of her husband, Altovise Davis was included in 2008 on the California Franchise Tax Board's list of the top 250 delinquent taxpayers, with $2,708,901.75 in unpaid personal income tax.[7]

Death

Davis died of complications from a stroke on March 14, 2009, at age 65 in Los Angeles.[1][2] She is interred in an unmarked grave at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, next to her husband.[citation needed]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1974 Welcome to Arrow Beach Deputy Molly
1976 Pipe Dreams Lydia
1977 Kingdom of the Spiders Birch Colby
1979 Boardwalk Mrs. Bell
1980 Can't Stop the Music Alicia Edwards
1986 The Perils of P.K. (final film role)

References

  1. ^ a b c Noland, Claire (March 15, 2009). "Altovise Davis dies at 65; widow of Sammy Davis Jr". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "Altovise Davis, Dancer and Actress, Dies at 65". New York Times. March 16, 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  3. ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
  4. ^ Rosen, Marjorie (May 28, 1990). "The Entertainer". People.
  5. ^ Cohen, Rich (November 2, 2008). "As Sammy's star imploded". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ "Sammy Leaves Estate to Wife; Prized Gun to Clint Eastwood". Los Angeles Times. August 8, 1990. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  7. ^ "Delinquent Taxpayers". Orange County Register. 7 April 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-10-27. Retrieved 23 October 2010.