Ruby Dee - Definition and Overview

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. She has been nominated for seven Emmy Awards, winning once for her role in 1990s 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

• Taking Back Our Town (2001) - Emelda West
• Jungle Fever (1991) - Lucinda Purify
• Decoration Day (1990) - Rowena
• Do the Right Thing (1989) - Mother Sister
• (1979) - Queen Haley
• The Incident (1967) - Joan Robinson
• A Raisin in the Sun (1961) - Ruth Younger
• The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) - Rae Robinson

External links

• Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis Marriage Profile (http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/davisdee.htm)

Example Usage of Ruby