Ruby Dee

Personal Info

Birthday

October 27, 1922

Day of Death

2014-06-11

(91 years old)

Place of Birth

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Also Known As

Ruby Ann Wallace

Ruby Dee

Biography

Ruby Dee was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun. Her other notable film roles include The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), Do the Right Thing (1989) and American Gangster (2007).

Known For

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Fugitive

The Golden Girls

The Defenders

The Stand

American Experience

Touched by an Angel

Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child

Filmography

2018
Poitier's Walter Lee
as Self (archive footage)
2014
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
as Self
2013
Betty and Coretta
as Narrator
Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal
as Self
2012
A Thousand Words
as Annie McCall
2011
Video Girl
as Valerie
The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll
as Miss Candy
2009
A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School
as Narrator (voice)
America
as Mrs. Harper
2007
Steam
as Doris
American Gangster
as Mama Lucas
All About Us
as Ms. Ella
In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema
as Herself
Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson
as Self
2006
Discovering William Greaves
as Self
No. 2
as Nanna Maria
2005
Their Eyes Were Watching God
as Nanny
2004
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks
as Self
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
as (archive footage)
2002
Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun'
as Self
2001
Taking Back Our Town
as Emelda West
Feast of All Saints
as Elsie Claviere
2000
Finding Buck McHenry
as Mrs. Henry
A Storm in Summer
as Grandmother
1999
The Unfinished Journey
as Narrator (voice)
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years
as Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany
Baby Geniuses
as Margo
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
as Self
Passing Glory
as Mommit Porter
1998
A Time To Dance: The Life and Work of Norma Canner
as Narrator
The Wall
as Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge")
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
as Self
1997
A Simple Wish
as Hortence
Sports on the Silver Screen
as Self (archive footage)
1996
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
as Indigo
Mr. and Mrs. Loving
as Sophia
1995
Just Cause
as Evangeline Ferguson
Tuesday Morning Ride
as Jennie
1994
Whitewash
as Grandmother (voice)
1993
After Goodbye
as Narrator
Cop & ½
as Rachel
The Ernest Green Story
as Lydia Wilson
1992
Color Adjustment
as Narrator
1991
Jazztime Tale
as Narrator (voice)
Jungle Fever
as Lucinda Purify
1990
Decoration Day
as Rowena
The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson
as Jackie's Mother
Love at Large
as Corrine Dart
Zora is My Name!
as Zora Neale Hurston
1989
Making 'Do the Right Thing'
as Self
Do the Right Thing
as Mother Sister
1985
Go Tell It on the Mountain
as Mrs. Grimes
1982
Long Day's Journey Into Night
as Mary Tyrone
Cat People
as Female
1980
All God's Children
as Irene Whitfield
1979
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
as Grandmother Baxter
1976
Countdown at Kusini
as Leah Matanzima
1974
Wedding Band
as Julia Augustine
It's Good to Be Alive
as Ruth Campanella
1972
Black Girl
as Netta's mother
Buck and the Preacher
as Ruth
To Be Young, Gifted and Black
as Lorraine Hansberry and other assorted characters
On Merit
as Narrator (voice)
1971
The Sheriff
as Sue Ann Lucas
1970
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
as Self (archive footage)
1969
Deadlock
as Lucinda
1968
Uptight
as Laurie
1967
The Incident
as Joan Robinson
1966
Neighbours
as Vicky Kingsbury
1963
Gone Are the Days!
as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
The Balcony
as Thief
1961
A Raisin in the Sun
as Ruth Younger
1959
Take a Giant Step
as Christine
Virgin Island
as Ruth
1958
St. Louis Blues
as Elizabeth
1957
Edge of the City
as Lucy Tyler
1954
Go Man Go
as Irma Jackson
1951
The Tall Target
as Rachel
1950
No Way Out
as Connie Brooks (uncredited)
The Jackie Robinson Story
as Rae Robinson
1947
Easy to Get
as Drugstore Girl
1946
That Man of Mine
as Joan