One may assume that being the child of a celebrity, adopted or not, means you’re set for life. Unfortunately for Mark, that’s not exactly how it works. Perhaps his father would have left him his estate when he passed, but the IRS took it before his family could.
Mark has lived a regular life, working retail and trying to keep his own two sons afloat. He has also struggled with substance abuse and was in a long cycle of constantly trying to recover.
Lying About Adoption
The entertainer had four children throughout his life; his daughter, Tracey, and three sons – all of whom he thought were adopted. But at one point, his son, Mark, discovered his own birth certificate that revealed that he was indeed Davis Jr.’s biological child.
Afterward, he decided to submit for a DNA test, in hopes of finding out more about his true origins. The test revealed that the actor and musician was not his father – but that’s not how it felt to Mark.
The Cover-up
Mark grew up very confused about where he actually came from. He’s even called himself a “giant living question mark” at one point. He had no idea whether or not he was actually born to either one of his parents; Davis Jr. or May Britt.
Both adoptive parents insisted that’s strictly what they were, but Mark still has his doubts.
The Upper Hand
Once Sammy Davis Jr. found his fame, he no longer felt like hotel owners who used to refuse him service years before had the upper hand. This time, the power was in his hands, and when racially segregated establishments would ask him to perform – he turned them down.
Because of that, bar and club owners from coast to coast began to integrate their venues. Davis Jr. was a huge supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and was solely responsible for who knows how many clubs beginning to integrate their establishments!
The First Black Man to Sleep Over at the White House
An impressive credential to the performer's name is that he and his wife were the very first black couple to spend the night in the White House. The invite was extended by Richard Nixon, who admired everything Davis Jr. had done for civil rights.
He and the president actually wound up becoming friends, despite their differences in political parties.