10 Weirdest Cameos In James Bond Movies
2. Sammy Davis Jr – Diamonds Are Forever
The multi-talented Sammy Davis Jr is a name synonymous with Hollywood success. Starting in vaudeville in the 1940s, Sammy Davis Jr went on to become a blues singer in the 1950s and, at the height of his success, he was a member of the rat-pack alongside Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. Alongside this stardom, he became a sensation in the cinema world through starring in critically acclaimed films such as the original Ocean’s 11, Johnny Cool, A Man Called Adam and Sweet Charity.
By the time he passed away in 1989 from throat cancer, he had received 5 Grammy awards, 5 Emmy awards and 12 other awards thanks to his contributions to film and music throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
One of his lesser contributions to cinema, however, was his short cameo in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever as a rich and pompous gambler in Willard Whyte’s casino. It was only a minute cameo but Sammy Davis Jr certainly makes an impression as when he first lays eyes on James Bond in his signature white suit Sammy Davis Jr. regards ‘they ain’t never gonna get a cake big enough to put him on top of’ promptly before losing all of his chips on the table.
The strangest thing is that a lot of people who have seen Diamonds Are Forever will never have seen Sammy Davis Jr.’s short little cameo, and this is because his scene was deleted from the final film. It is unsure as to why the scene was deleted, although a common theory is that it was simply cut for time, but Sammy Davis Jr’s scene can only be viewed on DVD’s with the ‘deleted scenes’ feature. Shame, really.