Sammy Davis Jr. to Be Honored by NAACP Saturday

Sammy Davis Jr., the self-described “saloon entertainer,” will receive the NAACP Hall of Fame Award at the Image Awards ceremony Saturday, a day after his 64th birthday.

Actor-director Sidney Poitier will present the honor to the tap-dancing singer and actor who has spent 60 years in the entertainment industry appearing on Broadway, television and in movies.

The Beverly Hills-Hollywood branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People said in a statement that “despite a career that his peers and public alike would classify as nothing less than legendary, Davis refers to himself simply as a ‘saloon entertainer.’ ”

The performer, who is undergoing radiation treatment for throat cancer, served as grand marshal of the recent Hollywood Christmas Parade and was recently honored in a television special for his years in show business.

Born to vaudevillian parents on Dec. 8, 1925, Davis was a child performer and later became known as a member of Hollywood’s young “Rat Pack,” which included Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.