Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

114

Gender

Female

Birthday

1922-10-27

Deathday

2014-06-11 (91 years old)

Place of Birth

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Also Known As

Ruby Ann Wallace

Ruby Dee

Biography

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).

Known For

7.6%

American Gangster

Nov 2, 2007

7.7%

Do the Right Thing

Jun 14, 1989

6.1%

A Thousand Words

Mar 7, 2012

7.6%

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Oct 6, 2000

6.2%

Just Cause

Feb 17, 1995

6.1%

Cat People

Apr 2, 1982

6.8%

The Stand

May 8, 1994

4.1%

Baby Geniuses

Mar 12, 1999

7.5%

The Golden Girls

Sep 14, 1985

6.4%

Jungle Fever

Jun 7, 1991

7.2%

Touched by an Angel

Sep 21, 1994

5.5%

A Simple Wish

Jul 11, 1997

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Acting

2018

Poitier's Walter Lee as Self (archive footage)

2014

Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee as Self

2013		Betty and Coretta as Narrator
2013		Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal as Self

2012

A Thousand Words as Annie McCall

2011		Video Girl as Valerie
2011		Politics of Love
2011		The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll as Miss Candy

2009		A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School as Narrator (voice)
2009		America as Mrs. Harper

2007		Steam as Doris
2007		American Gangster as Mama Lucas
2007		All About Us as Ms. Ella
2007		In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema as Herself
2007		Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson as Self

2006		Discovering William Greaves as Self
2006		No. 2 as Nanna Maria

2005		Iconoclasts as Self
2005		Their Eyes Were Watching God as Nanny

2004		Beah: A Black Woman Speaks as Self
2004		TV in Black: The First Fifty Years as (archive footage)

2003

Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives

2002		Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun' as Self
2002		Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years as Narrator

2001		Taking Back Our Town as Emelda West
2001		Feast of All Saints as Elsie Claviere

2000		CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Mary Wilson
2000		Finding Buck McHenry as Mrs. Henry
2000		A Storm in Summer as Grandmother

1999		The Unfinished Journey as Narrator (voice)
1999		Little Bill
1999		Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years as Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany
1999		Baby Geniuses as Margo
1999		Paul Robeson: Here I Stand as Self
1999		Passing Glory as Mommit Porter

1998		A Time To Dance: The Life and Work of Norma Canner as Narrator
1998		Christianity: The First 1000 Years as Herself - Narrator
1998		The Wall as Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge")
1998		Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood as Self

1997		A Simple Wish as Hortence
1997		Sports on the Silver Screen as Self (archive footage)

1996		Captive Heart: The James Mink Story as Indigo
1996		Mr. and Mrs. Loving as Sophia

1995		Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child as Grandma (voice)
1995		Just Cause as Evangeline Ferguson
1995		Tuesday Morning Ride as Jennie

1994		Touched by an Angel as LaBelle Springbelt
1994		Whitewash as Grandmother (voice)
1994		The Stand as Mother Abagail Freemantle
1994		The Stand as Mother Abagail Freemantle

1993		After Goodbye as Narrator
1993		Cop & ½ as Rachel
1993		The Ernest Green Story as Lydia Wilson

1992		Middle Ages as Estelle Williams
1992		Color Adjustment as Narrator

1991		Jazztime Tale as Narrator (voice)
1991		Jungle Fever as Lucinda Purify

1990		Decoration Day as Rowena
1990		The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson as Jackie's Mother
1990		Love at Large as Corrine Dart
1990		Zora is My Name! as Zora Neale Hurston

1989		Making 'Do the Right Thing' as Self
1989		Do the Right Thing as Mother Sister

1988		American Experience as Narrator (voice)
1988		China Beach
1988		Lincoln as Elizabeth Keckley

1985		Spenser: For Hire
1985		The Golden Girls as Mammy Watkins
1985		The Atlanta Child Murders as Faye Williams
1985		Go Tell It on the Mountain as Mrs. Grimes

1983

Reading Rainbow as Herself - Narrator (voice)

1982		Long Day's Journey Into Night as Mary Tyrone
1982		Cat People as Female

1980		All God's Children as Irene Whitfield
1980		The Torture of Mothers: The Case of the Harlem Six

1979		I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings as Grandmother Baxter
1979		Roots: The Next Generations as Queen Victoria Haley

1978

The Kennedy Center Honors as Self

1976

Countdown at Kusini as Leah Matanzima

1974		Police Woman
1974		Wedding Band as Julia Augustine
1974		It's Good to Be Alive as Ruth Campanella

1972		Black Girl as Netta's mother
1972		Buck and the Preacher as Ruth
1972		To Be Young, Gifted and Black as Lorraine Hansberry and other assorted characters
1972		On Merit as Narrator (voice)

1971		The Sheriff as Sue Ann Lucas
1971		Great Performances as Self

1970

King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis as Self (archive footage)

1969

Deadlock as Lucinda

1968		Uptight as Laurie
1968		The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest

1967

The Incident as Joan Robinson

1966

Neighbours as Vicky Kingsbury

1963		The Great Adventure as Harriet Tubman
1963		The Fugitive as Laura Smith
1963		Gone Are the Days! as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
1963		The Balcony as Thief

1961		The Defenders as Catherine Collins
1961		A Raisin in the Sun as Ruth Younger

1959		Take a Giant Step as Christine
1959		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		Hallmark Hall of Fame as Rowena Finch
1951		The Tall Target as Rachel

1950		No Way Out as Connie Brooks (uncredited)
1950		The Jackie Robinson Story as Rae Robinson

1948		The Fight Never Ends
1948		What a Guy

1947

Easy to Get as Drugstore Girl

1946		Love in Syncopation
1946		That Man of Mine as Joan

Sound

1983

Papua New Guinea: Anthropology on Trial as Vocals

Writing

1968

Uptight as Writer