View for person of id: 15532
Ruby Dee
Born: 27th Oct 1922 Cleveland, Ohio, USA - Died 11th Jun 2014
Dept: Acting
Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) 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).
[ToDo] Show list of extra photos here.
Film and Tv Credits
Total number of credits listed: 118
Film: 91 (77%)
Television: 27 (23%)
Remaining genres not in graph: Action, Music, Action & Adventure, Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, War & Politics, Western, Science Fiction, Horror, Kids, War, Talk
Filmography
2018
An interview with film scholar Mia Mask, co-editor of Poitier Revisited. ... view
Character:
Self (archive footage)
2014
In this open-letter style documentary, Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis' rich lives guide their grandson on his personal quest to master lasting love, conscious ... view
Character:
Self
2013
The widows of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and how they carry on as single mothers after the assassination of their husbands. ... view
Character:
Narrator
2013
The film chronicles the life and revolutionary times of death row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. ... view
Character:
Self
2012
Jack McCall is a fast-talking literary agent, who can close any deal, any time, any way. He has set his sights on New Age guru Dr. Sinja for his own s ... view
Character:
Annie McCall
2011
Lorie Walker is a small town girl whose big dreams of becoming a dancer come true when she becomes a star in the Hip-Hop video world. But she soon lea ... view
Character:
Valerie
2011
Politics makes strange bedfellows, but never stranger than when a sexy, savvy, African-American conservative Republican reluctantly falls for his Demo ... view
Character:
2011
In this film, childhood friends come face to face with the demons of rock and roll (lust, drugs, and passion) on a cross-country road trip that compel ... view
Character:
Miss Candy
2009
For a seventy-year period, when America cared little about the education of African-Americans, and discrimination was law and custom, The Bordentown S ... view
Character:
Narrator (voice)
2009
In "America," Dr. Maureen Brennan, a psychiatrist at a youth treatment center, encounters her newest patient, a bi-racial boy named America. Through t ... view
Character:
Mrs. Harper
2007
Three women — a young coed, a forty-something single mother, and one a senior-aged widow — meet in the sauna of the local gym, where they graduall ... view
Character:
Doris
2007
Loosely based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina, who smuggled heroin into the United States on American ... view
Character:
Mama Lucas
2007
Two Hollywood filmmakers attempt to find Morgan Freeman in Mississippi and convince him to star in their next movie. When life gets in their way they ... view
Character:
Ms. Ella
2007
This documentary captures the sounds and images of a nearly forgotten era in film history when African American filmmakers and studios created “race ... view
Character:
Herself
2007
A retrospective look at the career of Paul Robeson and his legacy as both an American and a citizen of the world. ... view
Character:
Self
2006
A documentary on the career of William Greaves, featuring Greaves, his wife and co-producer Louise Archambault, actor Ruby Dee, filmmaker St. Clair Bo ... view
Character:
Self
2006
Life affirming spiritual drama about love and loss set in the lush surroundings of Central Florida. Spencer Krane has returned to the town where he wa ... view
Character:
Maude
2006
A matriarch organizes a feast with her family, in which she will name her successor. The heart has gone out of Nanna Maria's family. There are no part ... view
Character:
Nanna Maria
Nov 2005 (first aired)
In this Sundance Channel original series, leading innovators and creative visionaries come together to discuss their passions and creative processes t ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
2005
A drama set in the 1920s, where free-spirited Janie Crawford's search for happiness leads her through several different marriages, challenging the mor ... view
Character:
Nanny
2004
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks is a 2003 documentary about the life of Academy Award nominated actress Beah Richards. Directed by Lisa Gay Hamilton, it wo ... view
Character:
Self
2004
Discover how television has reflected the African American experience in this retrospective of the medium's first half-century. Actors, writers and hi ... view
Character:
(archive footage)
2003
When the Civil War ended in 1865, more than four million slaves were set free. Over 70 years later, the memories of some 2,000 slave-era survivors wer ... view
Character:
2002
Panel discussion about the original Broadway production of Lorraine Hansbury's "A Raisin in the Sun." ... view
Character:
Self
Jun 2002 (first aired)
A two-series set produced by the A&E network which explores the history of Christianity and its impact on the world from the year 0 to 2000. ... view
Character:
Narrator (2 ep.)
2001
A true story about a concerned housewife, Pat Melancon, who tries to block Shintech, a massive Japanese petrochemical conglomerate, from building a pl ... view
Character:
Emelda West
2001
Set in nineteenth-century New Orleans, the story depicts the gens de couleur libre, or the Free People of Colour, a dazzling yet damned class caught b ... view
Character:
Elsie Claviere
Oct 2000 (first aired)
A Las Vegas team of forensic investigators are trained to solve criminal cases by scouring the crime scene, collecting irrefutable evidence and findin ... view
Character:
Mary Wilson (1 ep.)
2000
Jason Ross is an 11-year-old boy whose love for baseball exceeds his talent for the game. When cut from his little league team, Jason's undefeatable s ... view
Character:
Mrs. Henry
2000
Set in 1969, Abel Shaddick, a crotchety deli owner, has a grudge against virtually everyone in his upstate New York town of Fairview, particularly aga ... view
Character:
Grandmother
1999
A multimedia short created for the U.S. millennium celebrations, The Unfinished Journey reflects on America’s history and spirit through six chapter ... view
Character:
Narrator (voice)
Nov 1999 (first aired)
Little Bill is a television show for children that is presently on Nick Jr. The stories are based on Bill Cosby's Little Bill book series, set in Phil ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (47 ep.)
1999
Tells the story of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African-American (they preferred "colored") sisters who both lived past the age of 100. They grew up o ... view
Character:
Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany
1999
BabyCo is the world's leading manufacturer in baby products. However, what the public doesn't know, is that Drs Kinder and Heep, two of its most brill ... view
Character:
Margo
1999
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand presents the life and achievements of an extraordinary man. Athlete, singer, and scholar, Robeson was also a charismatic ch ... view
Character:
Self
1999
A true story of a priest (Andre Braugher) in New Orleans who formed a group of black players and challenged an all-white prep school basketball team i ... view
Character:
Mommit Porter
1998
This intimate, uncannily moving documentary profiles Norma Canner, a pioneer in dance movement therapy, who found in dance a way to help people who ha ... view
Character:
Narrator
Nov 1998 (first aired)
The incredible story of the people who, despite persecution, grew Christianity from an obscure movement to one of the world's largest religions. ... view
Character:
Herself - Narrator (4 ep.)
1998
The story of three items left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall: a pencil holder, a sheriff's badge, and an electric guitar. Each item connects th ... view
Character:
Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge")
1998
Louis Gossett Jr. takes viewers through a special documentary celebration of the groundbreaking achievements of African-American performers and their ... view
Character:
Self
1997
Murray is a male fairy godmother, and he is trying to help 8-year-old Anabel to fulfil her "simple wish" - that her father Oliver, who is a cab driver ... view
Character:
Hortence
1997
HBO (in association with the American Film Institute) presents this 1997 anthology, narrated by Liev Schreiber, which looks at sports in cinema from t ... view
Character:
Self (archive footage)
1996
James Mink is a black man in Canada who has built a very successful livery business, and enjoys a white wife and a beautiful daughter, Mary. An excell ... view
Character:
Indigo
1996
A moving and uplifting drama about the effects of interracial marriage in the 1960s. Friends since childhood, and loved by both families, this couple ... view
Character:
Sophia
Mar 1995 (first aired)
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child is an American anthology animated television series. ... view
Character:
Grandma (voice) (1 ep.)
1995
A Harvard professor is lured back into the courtroom after twenty-five years to take the case of a young black man condemned to death for the horrific ... view
Character:
Evangeline Ferguson
1995
Tuesday Morning Ride is based on the short story "A Summer Tragedy" by Arna Bontemps, a Harlem Renaissance writer. Set in the 1930s, the story depicts ... view
Character:
Jennie
Sep 1994 (first aired)
Monica, an angel, is tasked with bringing guidance and messages from God to various people who are at a crossroads in their lives. ... view
Character:
LaBelle Springbelt (1 ep.)
1994
When Helene Angel walks home from school with her older brother she is attacked by a street gang and painted white. The effect on Helene and her famil ... view
Character:
Grandmother (voice)
May 1994 (first aired)
After a deadly plague kills most of the world’s population, the remaining survivors split into two groups - one led by a benevolent elder and the ot ... view
Character:
Mother Abagail Freemantle (4 ep.)
1993
Award-winning actress Ruby Dee narrates this powerful documentary about the impact of AIDS on the families, friends and members of the acclaimed Turtl ... view
Character:
Narrator
1993
When a pint-sized 8-year-old kid witnesses a murder he offers to help the police, if they make him a cop, too. Saddled with this streetwise sidekick, ... view
Character:
Rachel
1993
Follows the story of Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine who were the first blacks to integrate into an all white school. ... view
Character:
Lydia Wilson
Sep 1992 (first aired)
Middle Ages is an American comedy-drama television series that aired from September 3 until October 1, 1992. ... view
Character:
Estelle Williams (6 ep.)
1992
From Amos 'n' Andy to Nat King Cole, from Roots to The Cosby Show, black people have played many roles on primetime television. Brilliantly weaving cl ... view
Character:
Narrator
1991
Set in Harlem in 1919, two girls - one white, one black - form a lifelong friendship through a chance encounter and the jazztime music of young "Fats" ... view
Character:
Narrator (voice)
1991
A successful and married black man contemplates having an affair with a white girl from work. He's quite rightly worried that the racial difference wo ... view
Character:
Lucinda Purify
1990
A cantankerous widower (Garner) who is virtually living the life of a recluse is forced to rejoin his community when his Godchild (Skaggs) gets in tro ... view
Character:
Rowena
1990
A film about the early life of the baseball star in the army, particulary his court-martial for insubordination regarding segragation. ... view
Character:
Jackie's Mother
1990
Inept private investigator Harry Dobbs meets vampish new client Miss Dolan, who wants him to follow her abusive lover. But Dobbs sets about tailing a ... view
Character:
Corrine Dart
1990
A celebration of the life of Zora Neale Hurston, who was born at the turn of the 20th Century and grew to be an important voice with her written portr ... view
Character:
Zora Neale Hurston
1989
The Behind-the-Scenes documentary of the dramatic comedy Do the Right Thing. ... view
Character:
Self
1989
Sal is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exh ... view
Character:
Mother Sister
Oct 1988 (first aired)
TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today. ... view
Character:
Narrator (voice) (1 ep.)
Apr 1988 (first aired)
Dateline: November 1967. Within klicks of Danang, Vietnam, sits a U.S. Army base, bar and hospital on China Beach filled with wounded soldiers and one ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Mar 1988 (first aired)
The life of Abraham Lincoln, from his election as President of the United States to the time of his assassination. Based on Gore Vidal's historical no ... view
Character:
Elizabeth Keckley (2 ep.)
Sep 1985 (first aired)
Mystery and suspense series based on Robert Parker's "Spenser" novels. Spenser, a private investigator living in Boston, gets involved in a new murder ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1985 (first aired)
Four Southern Florida seniors share a house, their dreams, and a whole lot of cheesecake. Bright, promiscuous, clueless and hilarious, these lovely, m ... view
Character:
Mammy Watkins (1 ep.)
Feb 1985 (first aired)
The Atlanta Child Murders is a TV miniseries that aired on February 10 and 12, 1985 on CBS. Inspired by true events, the miniseries examines the so-ca ... view
Character:
Faye Williams (2 ep.)
1984
This film adaptation of James Baldwin's celebrated novel tells the journey of a family from the rural South to "big city" Harlem seeking both salvatio ... view
Character:
Mrs. Grimes
Jun 1983 (first aired)
Journey to exciting places and build a lasting connection with your favorite books. Each episode centers on a theme from a book, or other children's l ... view
Character:
Self - Narrator (voice) (3 ep.)
1982
Over the course of one day in August 1912, the family of retired actor James Tyrone grapples with the morphine addiction of his wife Mary, the illness ... view
Character:
Mary Tyrone
1982
After years of separation, Irena Gallier and her minister brother, Paul, reunite in New Orleans. When zoologists capture a wild panther, Irena is draw ... view
Character:
Female
1980
Big city judge Parke Denison is involved in a forced busing dispute at the climax of his long career. The friendship between two families -- one white ... view
Character:
Irene Whitfield
1980
In 1963 a group of young Black boys living in Harlem were involved in an incident that earned them the nickname "The Harlem Six." Intent on protecting ... view
Character:
1979
Based on writer Maya Angelou's eloquent reminiscences of her days as a gifted youngster growing up in the South during the Depression years where she ... view
Character:
Grandmother Baxter
Feb 1979 (first aired)
Roots: The Next Generations is a television miniseries, introduced in 1979, continuing, from 1882 to the 1960s, the fictionalized story of the family ... view
Character:
Queen Haley (3 ep.)
Dec 1978 (first aired)
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
1976
An American musician working in Nigeria becomes involved with a patriot hunted by a mercenary in Africa. ... view
Character:
Leah Matanzima
Sep 1974 (first aired)
Sergeant “Pepper"” Anderson, an undercover cop for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department, poses undercover from mob gi ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
1974
A drama which examines the enduring nature of love between a white man and a black woman in 1918 South Carolina. ... view
Character:
Julia Augustine
1974
This movie details the struggles of former Brooklyn Dodger catcher Roy Campanella to adapt to life in a wheelchair following his crippling automobile ... view
Character:
Ruth Campanella
1973
Dr. Sam Delaney a caring physician in charge of a District Health Office in Philadelphia, treats his patient as well as the patient's illness. ... view
Character:
Dr. Bianca Pearson
1972
An aspiring dancer and her two wicked sisters resent their mother's love for a foster daughter. ... view
Character:
Netta's mother
1972
A wagon master and a con-man preacher help freed slaves dogged by cheap-labor agents out West. ... view
Character:
Ruth
1972
A mosaic biopic on Lorraine Hansberry, based on the stage play combining her unpublished writings, letters, and diaries. ... view
Character:
Lorraine Hansberry and other assorted characters
1972
Examines the history and purpose of the "merit system" used by the U.S. Civil Service in hiring and promoting Federal Government workers. Shows how th ... view
Character:
Narrator (voice)
1971
A rape case opens racial divisions in a small town. A black sheriff and his white deputy investigate allegations that a wealthy white businessman rape ... view
Character:
Sue Ann Lucas
Jan 1971 (first aired)
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular ... view
Character:
Self (2 ep.)
1970
A presentation of key events in the life of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Beginning with the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, M ... view
Character:
Self (archive footage)
1969
The murder of a journalist, coming shortly after the killings of a black teenager and a white cop, threatens to inflame passions in the city. To preve ... view
Character:
Lucinda
1968
Set against the backdrop of a community mourning the recent MLK assassination, Black militants building up an arsenal of weapons in preparation for a ... view
Character:
Laurie
Jun 1968 (first aired)
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks. ... view
Character:
Self - Guest (1 ep.)
1967
Two hoodlums terrorize the passengers of a late-night New York City subway train. ... view
Character:
Joan Robinson
1967
“Now is the Time” is a mosaic of marches, Black spiritual, emotional, and inner life set to the readings of Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Mari E ... view
Character:
Self
1966
The Robinson's like to see themselves as liberals. So when their new black neighbours the Kingsbury's move into their apartment block they are invited ... view
Character:
Vicky Kingsbury
Sep 1963 (first aired)
The Great Adventure is a historical anthology series that appeared on CBS for the 1963-1964 television season. The series, narrated each week by Van H ... view
Character:
Harriet Tubman (1 ep.)
Sep 1963 (first aired)
Richard Kimble is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death penalty. En route to death row, Kimble's train derails and crashes, allow ... view
Character:
Laura Smith (1 ep.)
1963
A young, idealistic man returns home to the plantation where he grew up in servitude. With him, he brings his fiance, Lutiebelle, in hopes of convinci ... view
Character:
Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
1963
The Madam of a brothel satisfies the erotic fantasies of her customers, while a revolution is sweeping the nation. ... view
Character:
Thief
Sep 1961 (first aired)
The Defenders is an American courtroom drama series . It starred E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed as father-and-son defense attorneys who specialized in ... view
Character:
Catherine Collins (1 ep.)
1961
Walter Lee Younger is a young man struggling with his station in life. Sharing a tiny apartment with his wife, son, sister and mother, he seems like a ... view
Character:
Ruth Younger
1959
After African-American teenager Spence Scott gets expelled from his private school for arguing with a teacher, he turns to his grandmother for advice. ... view
Character:
Christine
1959
A British woman marries an American writer in spite of her family's disapproval and goes to live with him on a tropical island. ... view
Character:
Ruth
1958
Will Handy grows up in Memphis with his preacher father and his Aunt Hagar. His father intends for him to use his musical gifts only in church, but he ... view
Character:
Elizabeth
1957
A male army deserter and a black male dock worker join forces against a corrupt manager, in a corrupt environment, and as their connection blossoms th ... view
Character:
Lucy Tyler
Jul 1956 (first aired)
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produ ... view
Character:
Vicky Kingsbury (1 ep.)
1954
The story of Abe Saperstein and the creation of the Harlem Globetrotters. ... view
Character:
Irma Jackson
Mar 1953 (first aired)
An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuett ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
Dec 1951 (first aired)
Long-running anthology program sponsored by Hallmark Cards. Beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2019, the series received 80 Emmy Awards, 24 Christo ... view
Character:
Rowena Finch (1 ep.)
1951
A detective tries to prevent the assassination of President-elect Abraham Lincoln during a train ride headed for Washington in 1861. ... view
Character:
Rachel
1950
Two hoodlum brothers are brought into hospital for gunshot wounds, and when one dies, the other accuses their Black doctor of murder. ... view
Character:
Connie Brooks (uncredited)
1950
Biography of Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player in the 20th century. Traces his career in the negro leagues and the major l ... view
Character:
Rae Robinson
1948
Joe Louis, portraying himself, is a good influence on a group of Harlem youths who are tempted to "go bad" by a gangster known as Caper, an older brot ... view
Character:
1947
U.S. Army training film about avoiding venereal disease, intended primarily for Black servicemen. ... view
Character:
Drugstore Girl
1946
Follows the band's rise in show business, starting with its origins in the Navy during World War II and their struggle to make it. ... view
Character:
1946
Featuring the swinging sounds of the all-woman band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm and a young Ruby Dee, the 1946 musical showcases tendernes ... view
Character:
Joan