Ruby Dee

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Ruby Dee
Image:Ruby Dee.jpg
photo by Carl Van Vechten, 1962
Birth name Ruby Ann Wallace
Born October 27 1924 (1924-10-27) (age 84)
Image:Flag of the United States.svg Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Spouse(s) Ossie Davis (1948-2005)
Frank Dee Brown (1941-1945)

Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Dee was born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Gladys Hightower and Marshall Edward Nathaniel Wallace, a cook, waiter, and porter. After her mother left the family, Dee's father remarried to Emma Amelia (née Benson), a schoolteacher.[1][2][3][4] Dee grew up in Harlem, New York. She graduated in 1945 from Hunter College with degrees in French and Spanish, and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Inc. She made several appearances on Broadway before receiving national recognition for her role in the 1950 film The Jackie Robinson Story.

[edit] Career

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 young African-American actors and filmmakers.

She has been nominated for eight Emmy Awards, winning twice: once 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 (1917-2005) also appeared in that episode.

In 2007 the winner of the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album was tied between (i) Dee and Ossie Davis for "With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together", and (ii) former President Jimmy Carter.

[edit] Personal life & activism

Dee and Davis together wrote an autobiography in which they discuss their political activism as well as insights on their open marriage.[5] Together they had three children; son, blues musician Guy Davis, and two daughters, Nora Day, and Hasna Muhammad. Dee has survived breast cancer for more than 30 years.

Dee and 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 latter's funeral in 1965.

[edit] Filmography

[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] Awards/Nominations

  • Emmy Awards
    • 1993, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Evening Shade (Nominated)
    • 1991, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series/ Television Movie: Decoration Day (Winner)
    • 1990,Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: China Beach (Nominated)
    • 1988, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series or Special: Lincoln (Nominated)
    • 1979, Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series or Special: Roots: The Next Generation (Nominated)
    • 1964, Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: The Nurses (Nominated)
  • Image Awards
    • 2001, Outstanding Performance in a Youth Special or Series: Little Bill (Nominated)
    • 2000, Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie/Mini-Series: Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters' First 100 Years (Nominated)
    • 1999, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Promise Land (Winner)
    • 1997, Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie/Mini-Series: Captive Heart: The James Mink Story (Nominated)
    • 1991, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Do the Right Thing (Winner)

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/d/davis-ossie.html
  2. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=_FhqCO4RJl8C&pg=PA167&lpg=PA167&dq=%22ruby+dee%22+%22marshall+edward+wallace%22&source=web&ots=C-ht4_E768&sig=iCL1HrvdVMa0iurFYC07him18oA
  3. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=4-HYBUp1sygC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=%22ruby+dee%22+%22marshall+edward+wallace%22&source=web&ots=L1Jur4IeEi&sig=zFSTGlAkHX5a3nw50vRZ-aXHh-Y
  4. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/85/Ruby-Dee.html
  5. ^ Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee on Open Marriage. About.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.

[edit] External links

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
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