Screen and stage star and Civil Rights activist Ruby Dee died Wednesday at her home in New Rochelle, N. Y. The celebrated actress, who frequently starred with husband Ossie Davis, personified elegance in her roles during a time in our history where Black women received few roles of substance.
Dee received numerous accolades during her stellar career, including Emmy, Screen Actors Guild and Grammy awards. She was a star on Broadway as well as on the big screen in a variety of roles with such hits as “That Man of Mine,” “The Jackie Robinson Story,” “Roots: The Next Generation” and “St. Louis Blues,” where she appeared with Nat King Cole, Cab Calloway and Eartha Kitt. She was also a favorite of Spike Lee and starred in his “Jungle Fever” and “Do the Right Thing.” Her Broadway hits included “A Raisin in the Sun” with Sidney Poitier, “South Pacific,” “Take It From the Top” and Two Hah Hahs and a Homeboy.”For her role in 2007’s “American Gangster,” she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. At the time of her passing, her latest role in “King Dog” with Ice-T was still in production.
One of Hollywood’s first Black power couples, Dee and Davis were also active in the Civil Rights movement and were recognized for their significant roles with the National Civil Rights Museum’s Lifetime Achievement Freed Award in 2005 and the National Medal of Arts at a recent Kennedy Center Honors. Dee was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality, the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The couple, who was married in 1948 after meeting on the set of “Jeb” in 1946, were close friends with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. Davis passed in 2007.
Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Thursday, June 12th 2014 at 2:28PM
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