Obituaries

Altovise Davis, the widow of Sammy Davis, Jr., has died of a stroke. She was 65 years old.

Davis was a key figure in the recent book, Deconstructing Sammy, about the fight over the Sammy Davis, Jr. estate. For bad movie buffs, she is remembered for her role in the 1980 turkey, Can't Stop the Music.

Altovise suffered from alcoholism.

About her and Sammy:

Trained as an actor and dancer, Altovise Davis met the legendary showman in the mid-1960s, when they were both appearing in Broadway musicals, he in the lead of "Golden Boy" and she in the chorus line of "High Spirits."

She successfully auditioned for a London stage production of "Golden Boy," and after its run she joined his nightclub act as a dancer.

They married at a Philadelphia courthouse in May 1970 and were together 20 years, adopting their son in 1989. Her husband died of throat cancer at age 64 on May 16, 1990, five days after their 20th wedding anniversary.

Altovise Davis had a difficult time after her husband's death. He owed a reported $7 million in income tax, and to satisfy the Internal Revenue Service, his mansion on Summit Drive in Beverly Hills was sold. Jewelry, memorabilia and other personal items were auctioned.

If I remember correctly, in the book, Deconstructing Sammy, his estate was in such a shambles Altovise is said to have removed Sammy's glass eye after his death and had considered selling it.
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Sydney Chaplin, 82, son of Charlie Chaplin and his second wife Lita Grey Chaplin, died earlier this month of complications from a stroke.

Sydney had been the oldest surviving offspring of Chaplin's. Like his father, the younger Chaplin had an acting career:

On Broadway, Sydney Chaplin broke through in 1956 in the hit Broadway show "Bells Are Ringing" after actress Judy Holliday invited him to try out. She said "that Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne had written a musical for her, and they all thought I'd be perfect for the male lead," Chaplin later said of "Bells."

He recalled auditioning as many as 15 times before landing the part of Jeff Moss, who falls in love with the switchboard operator, played by Holliday.

His other major Broadway success came in the original production of "Funny Girl" opposite Barbra Streisand. He played the gambler boyfriend Nick Arnstein to Streisand's Fanny Brice.

Both actors received Tony nominations for their performances in the musical -- the last of his five roles on Broadway -- but they feuded, and he left the show.

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