Ruby Dee
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| Ruby Dee | |
 Actress Ruby Dee, September 25, 1962 photo by Carl Van Vechten |
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| Birth name | Ruby Ann Wallace |
| Born | October 27, 1924 (age 82) Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Ossie Davis (1948-2005) Frank Dee Brown (1941-1945) |
| Notable roles | Rae Robinson, The Jackie Robinson Story |
| Emmy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie 1991 Decoration Day |
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Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an African American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist.
Dee was born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio, though she grew up in Harlem, New York. A 1945 graduate of Hunter College, with degrees in French and Spanish, Dee made several appearances on Broadway before receiving national recognition for her role in the 1950 film, The Jackie Robinson Story.
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[edit] Career
Ruby Dee's career in acting has crossed all major forms of media over a span of eight decades, including the films A Raisin in the Sun, in which she recreated her stage role as a suffering housewife in the projects, and Edge of the City. She played both roles opposite Sidney Poitier. During the 1960s, Dee appeared in such politically charged films as Gone Are the Days and The Incident, which is recognized as helping pave the way for all young African-American actors and filmmakers.
She has been nominated for eight Emmy Awards, winning twice; one for her role in the 1990 TV film Decoration Day, and again for her television guest appearance in the China Beach episode, “Skylark”. Her late husband Ossie Davis also appeared in that episode.
In 2007 the winner of the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album was tied with Dee and Ossie Davis (1917-2005) for, "With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together", and former President Jimmy Carter.
[edit] Activism
Ruby Dee and her late husband, actor Ossie Davis, were well-known civil rights activists. Among others, Dee is a member of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dee and Davis were personal friends of both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, with Davis giving the eulogy at the funeral of Malcom X in 1965.
[edit] Personal
Dee and Davis together wrote an autobiography in which they discuss their political activism as well as insights on their open marriage.[1]
Together they had three children; son, blues musician Guy Davis, and two daughters, Nora Day, and Hasna Muhammad. Ms. Dee has survived breast cancer for more than thirty years.
[edit] Filmography
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[edit] Bibliography
- Davis, Ossie; Ruby Dee (1984). Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears (Audio Cassette), Caedmon. ISBN 978-0694511877.
- Dee, Ruby (1986). My One Good Nerve: Rhythms, Rhymes, Reasons. Third World Press. ISBN 088378114X.
- Davis, Ossie; Ruby Dee (1998). With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together. William Morrow. ISBN 978-0688153960.
[edit] References
- ^ Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee on Open Marriage. About.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
[edit] External links
- Ruby Dee at the Internet Broadway Database
- Ruby Dee at the Internet Movie Database
- Ruby Dee at the Notable Names Database
- Ruby Dee at the TCM Movie Database
- Ruby Dee at TV.com
- Ruby Dee at Yahoo! Movies
- Ruby Dee biography and video at the The National Visionary Leadership Project
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Eva Marie Saint People Like Us |
Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie 1991 Decoration Day |
Succeeded by Amanda Plummer Miss Rose White |
Categories: 1924 births | American film actors | American television actors | African Americans' rights activists | African-American actors | Breast cancer patients | City University of New York people | Delta Sigma Theta sisters | Emmy Award winners | Living people | United States National Medal of Arts recipients
