Ruby Dee
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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
Credits
American Gangster (2007)
as Mama Lucas
A Time To Dance: The Life and Work of Norma Canner (1998)
as Narrator
Do the Right Thing (1989)
as Mother Sister
A Thousand Words (2012)
as Annie McCall
Jungle Fever (1991)
as Lucinda Purify
Baby Geniuses (1999)
as Margo
Just Cause (1995)
as Evangeline Ferguson
Cat People (1982)
as Female
A Simple Wish (1997)
as Hortence
The Torture of Mothers: The Case of the Harlem Six (1980)
Actor
Buck and the Preacher (1972)
as Ruth
A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
as Ruth Younger
Feast of All Saints (2001)
as Elsie Claviere
Edge of the City (1957)
as Lucy Tyler
Cop & ½ (1993)
as Rachel
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979)
as Grandmother Baxter
Sports on the Silver Screen (1997)
as Self (archive footage)
Making 'Do the Right Thing' (1989)
as Self
No Way Out (1950)
as Connie Brooks (uncredited)
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story (1996)
as Indigo
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004)
as (archive footage)
Go Tell It on the Mountain (1984)
as Mrs. Grimes
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003)
Actor
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970)
as Self (archive footage)
The Incident (1967)
as Joan Robinson
Zora is My Name! (1990)
as Zora Neale Hurston
The Ernest Green Story (1993)
as Lydia Wilson
The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
as Rae Robinson
The Tall Target (1951)
as Rachel
Diamonds on the Silver Screen (—)
as Self
Gone Are the Days! (1963)
as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005)
as Nanny
The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2011)
as Miss Candy
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999)
as Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany
Uptight (1968)
as Laurie
The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990)
as Jackie's Mother
Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal (2013)
as Self
America (2009)
as Mrs. Harper
Take a Giant Step (1959)
as Christine
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee (2014)
as Self
No. 2 (2006)
as Nanna Maria
Video Girl (2011)
as Valerie
Mr. and Mrs. Loving (1996)
as Sophia
All God's Children (1980)
as Irene Whitfield
A Storm in Summer (2000)
as Grandmother
Love at Large (1990)
as Corrine Dart
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks (2004)
as Self
Taking Back Our Town (2001)
as Emelda West
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand (1999)
as Self
It's Good to Be Alive (1974)
as Ruth Campanella
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood (1998)
as Self
St. Louis Blues (1958)
as Elizabeth
Steam (2007)
as Doris
The Way Back Home (2006)
as Maude
On Merit (1972)
as Narrator (voice)
Neighbours (1966)
as Vicky Kingsbury
Color Adjustment (1992)
as Narrator
The Unfinished Journey (1999)
as Narrator (voice)
Decoration Day (1990)
as Rowena
Poitier's Walter Lee (2018)
as Self (archive footage)
To Be Young, Gifted and Black (1972)
as Lorraine Hansberry and other assorted characters
Finding Buck McHenry (2000)
as Mrs. Henry
Black Girl (1972)
as Netta's mother
Whitewash (1994)
as Grandmother (voice)
All About Us (2007)
as Ms. Ella
Chelsea D.H.O. (1973)
as Dr. Bianca Pearson
Betty and Coretta (2013)
as Narrator
Go Man Go (1954)
as Irma Jackson
Tuesday Morning Ride (1995)
as Jennie
The Fight Never Ends (1948)
Actor
The Wall (1998)
as Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge")
Virgin Island (1959)
as Ruth
Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun' (2002)
as Self
Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson (2007)
as Self
Passing Glory (1999)
as Mommit Porter
That Man of Mine (1946)
as Joan
Long Day's Journey Into Night (1982)
as Mary Tyrone
In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema (2007)
as Herself
Wedding Band (1974)
as Julia Augustine
Deadlock (1969)
as Lucinda
The Sheriff (1971)
as Sue Ann Lucas
Politics of Love (2011)
Actor
Now is the Time (1967)
as Self
The Balcony (1963)
as Thief
What a Guy (1948)
Actor
After Goodbye (1993)
as Narrator
Easy to Get (1947)
as Drugstore Girl
Countdown at Kusini (1976)
as Leah Matanzima
A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School (2009)
as Narrator (voice)
Love in Exile (2026)
Actor
Discovering William Greaves (2006)
as Self
Jazztime Tale (1991)
as Narrator (voice)
Love in Syncopation (1946)
Actor