Ossie Davis

Personal Info

Birthday

December 18, 1917

Day of Death

2005-02-04

(87 years old)

Place of Birth

Cogdell, Georgia, USA

Also Known As

Ozzie Davis

Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis

Raiford Chatman Davis

Ossie Davis

Biography

Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He may be best known for his roles in Spike Lee-directed films such as School Daze (1988) and Do the Right Thing (1989). Other films Davis acted in include The Hill (1965), A Man Called Adam (1966), Let's Do It Again (1975), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Grumpy Old Men (1993), The Client (1994), Dr. Dolittle (1998), Dinosaur (2000), and Bubba Ho-Tep (2002). He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, from 1948 until his death.

Known For

JAG

Bonanza

The Fugitive

Roots: The Next Generations

Hawaii Five-O

Third Watch

Touched by an Angel

The L Word

Filmography

2022
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
as Self (archive footage)
2005
The Peace!
as Self
Deacons for Defense
as Reverend 'Rev' Gregory
The History Makers: Success
as Self
Unstoppable
as Self
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
as Self
2004
She Hate Me
as Judge Buchanan
Proud
as Lorenzo DuFau
Baadasssss!
as Granddad
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks
as Self
2003
The Evolution of an American Filmmaker
as Self
The Tuskegee Airmen: They Fought Two Wars
as Narrator
Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property
as Himself
2002
Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun'
as Self
Bubba Ho-tep
as John F. "Jack" Kennedy
2001
Feast of All Saints
as Jean-Jacques
Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore
as Narrator
The Legend of the Candy Cane
as Julius (voice)
2000
Here's to Life!
as Duncan Cox
Dinosaur
as Yar (voice)
Finding Buck McHenry
as Buck McHenry
1999
The Unfinished Journey
as Narrator (voice)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
as Caretaker
The Soul Collector
as Mordecai
The Secret Path
as Too Tall
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
as Self
A Vow to Cherish
as Alexander Billman
1998
Doctor Dolittle
as Archer Dolittle
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
as Self
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
as Self
1997
12 Angry Men
as Juror 2
4 Little Girls
as Self - Actor and Playwright
Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers
as Narrator
Miss Evers' Boys
as Mr. Evers
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
as Self
1996
I'm Not Rappaport
as Midge Carter
Get on the Bus
as Jeremiah
1995
The Android Affair
as Dr. Winston
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
as Uncle Phil
1994
The Client
as Harry Roosevelt
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
as Uncle Phil
Malcolm X: Make It Plain
as Self
Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World
as Narrator
1993
Grumpy Old Men
as Chuck
Cop & ½
as Detective in Squad Room
Goin' Back to T-Town
as Narrator
The Ernest Green Story
as Grandfather
1992
Lincoln
as Frederick Douglas (voice)
Malcolm X
as Eulogy Performer (voice)
Gladiator
as Noah
1991
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
as Self
Jungle Fever
as Reverend Purify
1990
Joe Versus the Volcano
as Marshall
1989
Making 'Do the Right Thing'
as Self
Do the Right Thing
as Da Mayor
1988
School Daze
as Coach Odom
1986
Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories
as Anansi the Spider (Sleepytime Songs and Stories) (voice)
1985
Avenging Angel
as Capt. Harry Moradian
Tyler Texas Black Film Collection
as Himself
1984
Harry & Son
as Raymond
Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood
as Narrator
The House of God
as Dr. Sanders
1981
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige
as Chuffy Russell
1980
All God's Children
as Blaine Whitfield
1979
Freedom Road
as Narrator
Hot Stuff
as Captain John Geiberger
Freedom Man
as Benjamin Banneker
1977
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
as Dr. Fredericks
1976
The Tenth Level
as Reed
Countdown at Kusini
as Ernest Motapo
1975
Let's Do It Again
as Elder Johnson
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
as Narrator
1973
Wattstax
as Self (uncredited)
1971
The Sheriff
as James Lucas
1970
Kongi's Harvest
as Narrator
1969
Night Gallery
as Osmond Portifoy
Slaves
as Luke
Sam Whiskey
as Jed Hooker
Teacher, Teacher
as Charles Carter
1968
The Scalphunters
as Joseph Lee
Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class
as Narrator
1967
The Outsider
as Lt. Wagner
Black Liberation
as Narrator
1966
A Man Called Adam
as Nelson Davis
1965
The Sun... the Sand... the Hill
as Jason King (archive footage)
The Hill
as Jacko King
1964
Shock Treatment
as Capshaw
1963
The Cardinal
as Father Gillis
Gone Are the Days!
as Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson
1962
Hands of Inge
as Narrator (voice)
1960
John Brown's Raid
as Dangerfield Newby
1951
Fourteen Hours
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
1950
No Way Out
as John Brooks (uncredited)