Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an African-American actress and activist.

Dee was born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio, though she grew up in Harlem. A 1945 graduate of Hunter College, Dee made several appearances on Broadway before getting national recognition for her role in the 1950 film, The Jackie Robinson Story. Her acting career has crossed all major forms of media over a span of 8 decades, including films such as A Raisin in the Sun (in which she recreated her stage role as a suffering housewife in the projects) and Edge of the City both opposite Sidney Poitier. During the 1960's, Dee appeared in such politically charged films such as Gone Are the Days and The Incident , which paved the way for young African American filmmakers and actors. She has been nominated for seven Emmy Awards, winning once for her role in 1990's Decoration Day.

Ruby Dee and her late husband, actor Ossie Davis, were well-known civil rights activists. Dee is a member of such organizations as CORE, the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dee and Davis were personal friends of both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, with Davis giving Malclom X's eulogy at his 1965 funeral.

Partial filmography

• What a Guy (1939)
• That Man of Mine (1947)
• The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
• No Way Out (1950)
• The Tall Target (1951)
• Go, Man, Go! (1954)
• The Great American Pastime (1956)
• Edge of the City (1957)
• Virgin Island (1958)
• St. Louis Blues (1958)
• Take a Giant Step (1959)
• A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
• Gone Are the Days! (1963)
• The Incident (1967)
• Up Tight! (1968)
• (1970) (documentary) (narrator)
• Buck and the Preacher (1972)
• Black Girl (1972)
• (1975) (documentary)
• Countdown at Kusini (1976)
• The Torture of Mothers (1980)
• Cat People (1982)
• Do the Right Thing (1989)
• Love at Large (1990)
• (1991) (documentary)
• Jungle Fever (1991)
• Jazztime Tale (1992) (short subject)
• Cop & 1/2 (1993)
• Tuesday Morning Ride (1995) (short subject)
• Just Cause (1995)
• A Simple Wish (1997)
• (1998) (documentary) (narrator)
• Baby Geniuses (1999)
• The Unfinished Journey (1999) (short subject) (narrator)
• Baby of the Family (2002)
• (2003) (documentary) (narrator)
• (2003) (documentary)
• The Way Back Home (2005) (currently in post-production)
• Dream Street (2005) (currently in pre-production)

External links

• Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis Marriage Profile