Ossie Davis
Also known as Raiford Chatman Davis, Ossie
American actor, director, poet, playwright, writer, and social activist (1917-2005)
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 18 December 1917
- Died
- 04 February 2005
- Works
- 16
Top works
- On trial
- Maggie's American Dream
- With Ossie and Ruby
- Purlie
- Arthur Ashe
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Acting · Cogdell, Georgia, USA
Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He may be best known for his roles in Spike Lee-directed films such as School Daze (1988) and Do the Right Thing (1989). Other films Davis acted in include The Hill (1965), A Man Called Adam (1966), Let's Do It Again (1975), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Grumpy Old Men…
Known for
- Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues — Self (archive footage)2022
- Folk Britannia — Self (archival footage)2006
- The Peace! — Self2005
- By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X' — Self2005
- Unstoppable — Self2005
~17 min read
Article
Ossie Davis (born Raiford Chatman Davis; December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, from 1948 until his death. He received numerous accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy and a Writers Guild of America Award as well as nominations for four additional Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and Tony Award. Davis was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the National Medal of Arts in 1995, then Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.
Davis started his career in theatre acting with the Ross McClendon Players in the 1940s. He made his Broadway debut acting in the post-World War II play Jeb (1946). He earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical nomination for his role in Jamaica (1958). He wrote and starred as the title character in the satirical farce Purlie Victorious (1961) which was adapted into a 1963 film and 1970 musical.
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Categories
1917 births2005 deaths20th-century African-American male actors20th-century American male actors21st-century African-American male actors21st-century American male actorsActivists for African-American civil rightsActivists from New York (state)African-American activistsAfrican-American film directorsAfrican-American history of Westchester County, New York