Ruby Dee

Oct 27, 1922 - Jun 11, 2014 (91 years old) in Cleveland, Ohio, USA

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

poster

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Mary Wilson

poster

Touched by an Angel

LaBelle Springbelt

poster

American Experience

Narrator (voice)

poster

Great Performances

Self

poster

The Fugitive

Laura Smith

poster

The Golden Girls

Mammy Watkins

poster

The Kennedy Center Honors

Self

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Spenser: For Hire

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Police Woman

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Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child

Grandma (voice)

Credits

Poitier's Walter Lee 2018

Self (archive footage)

★ NR
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee 2014

Self

★ 1.5
Betty and Coretta 2013

Narrator

★ 7.2
Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal 2013

Self

★ 10
A Thousand Words 2012

Annie McCall

★ 6.1
Video Girl 2011

Valerie

★ 6.7
Politics of Love 2011

★ 4.5
The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll 2011

Miss Candy

★ 5.4
A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School 2009

Narrator (voice)

★ 7.3
America 2009

Mrs. Harper

★ 3.5
Steam 2007

Doris

★ 3.1
American Gangster 2007

Mama Lucas

★ 7.6
All About Us 2007

Ms. Ella

★ 4.4
In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema 2007

Herself

★ 6.5
Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson 2007

Self

★ NR
Discovering William Greaves 2006

Self

★ 7
No. 2 2006

Nanna Maria

★ 6
Iconoclasts 2005

Self

★ 6
Their Eyes Were Watching God 2005

Nanny

★ 5.8
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks 2004

Self

★ NR
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years 2004

(archive footage)

★ 4
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives 2003

★ 5.9
Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun' 2002

Self

★ NR
Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years 2002

Narrator

★ 6
Taking Back Our Town 2001

Emelda West

★ NR
Feast of All Saints 2001

Elsie Claviere

★ 4.6
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 2000

Mary Wilson

★ 7.6
Finding Buck McHenry 2000

Mrs. Henry

★ NR
A Storm in Summer 2000

Grandmother

★ 5.8
The Unfinished Journey 1999

Narrator (voice)

★ 6
Little Bill 1999

★ 6.6
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years 1999

Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany

★ 7.5
Baby Geniuses 1999

Margo

★ 4.1
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand 1999

Self

★ NR
Passing Glory 1999

Mommit Porter

★ 5.8
A Time To Dance: The Life and Work of Norma Canner 1998

Narrator

★ NR
Christianity: The First 1000 Years 1998

Herself - Narrator

★ NR
The Wall 1998

Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge")

★ 5.7
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood 1998

Self

★ NR
A Simple Wish 1997

Hortence

★ 5.5
Sports on the Silver Screen 1997

Self (archive footage)

★ 10
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story 1996

Indigo

★ 3.2
Mr. and Mrs. Loving 1996

Sophia

★ 5.6
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child 1995

Grandma (voice)

★ 6
Just Cause 1995

Evangeline Ferguson

★ 6.2
Tuesday Morning Ride 1995

Jennie

★ 6.3
Touched by an Angel 1994

LaBelle Springbelt

★ 7.2
Whitewash 1994

Grandmother (voice)

★ 6
The Stand 1994

Mother Abagail Freemantle

★ NR
After Goodbye 1993

Narrator

★ NR
Cop & ½ 1993

Rachel

★ 4.5
The Ernest Green Story 1993

Lydia Wilson

★ 6.9
Middle Ages 1992

Estelle Williams

★ 6
Color Adjustment 1992

Narrator

★ 6.9
Jazztime Tale 1991

Narrator (voice)

★ NR
Jungle Fever 1991

Lucinda Purify

★ 6.4
Decoration Day 1990

Rowena

★ 7.3
The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson 1990

Jackie's Mother

★ 8
Love at Large 1990

Corrine Dart

★ 4.8
Zora is My Name! 1990

Zora Neale Hurston

★ NR
Making 'Do the Right Thing' 1989

Self

★ 6.7
Do the Right Thing 1989

Mother Sister

★ 7.8
American Experience 1988

Narrator (voice)

★ 7.4
China Beach 1988

★ 7.4
Lincoln 1988

Elizabeth Keckley

★ 7.2
Spenser: For Hire 1985

★ 6.7
The Golden Girls 1985

Mammy Watkins

★ 7.5
The Atlanta Child Murders 1985

Faye Williams

★ 5.9
Go Tell It on the Mountain 1985

Mrs. Grimes

★ 6.7
Reading Rainbow 1983

Herself - Narrator (voice)

★ 8.4
Long Day's Journey Into Night 1982

Mary Tyrone

★ 6
Cat People 1982

Female

★ 6.1
All God's Children 1980

Irene Whitfield

★ 4
The Torture of Mothers: The Case of the Harlem Six 1980

★ NR
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1979

Grandmother Baxter

★ 4.2
Roots: The Next Generations 1979

Queen Victoria Haley

★ 7.4
The Kennedy Center Honors 1978

Self

★ 7.4
Countdown at Kusini 1976

Leah Matanzima

★ NR
Police Woman 1974

★ 6.2
Wedding Band 1974

Julia Augustine

★ NR
It's Good to Be Alive 1974

Ruth Campanella

★ 6.6
Black Girl 1972

Netta's mother

★ 7
Buck and the Preacher 1972

Ruth

★ 6.2
To Be Young, Gifted and Black 1972

Lorraine Hansberry and other assorted characters

★ 5
On Merit 1972

Narrator (voice)

★ NR
The Sheriff 1971

Sue Ann Lucas

★ 6
Great Performances 1971

Self

★ 5.6
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis 1970

Self (archive footage)

★ 7.3
Deadlock 1969

Lucinda

★ NR
Uptight 1968

Laurie

★ 6.5
The Incident 1967

Joan Robinson

★ 7.3
Neighbours 1966

Vicky Kingsbury

★ NR
The Great Adventure 1963

Harriet Tubman

★ NR
The Fugitive 1963

Laura Smith

★ 7.2
Gone Are the Days! 1963

Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins

★ 6.7
The Balcony 1963

Thief

★ 5.2
The Defenders 1961

Catherine Collins

★ 6.2
A Raisin in the Sun 1961

Ruth Younger

★ 7.7
Take a Giant Step 1959

Christine

★ 5.2
Virgin Island 1959

Ruth

★ 5
St. Louis Blues 1958

Elizabeth

★ 7.8
Edge of the City 1957

Lucy Tyler

★ 7.1
Go Man Go 1954

Irma Jackson

★ 5.7
Hallmark Hall of Fame 1951

Rowena Finch

★ 8.6
The Tall Target 1951

Rachel

★ 6.8
No Way Out 1950

Connie Brooks (uncredited)

★ 6.9
The Jackie Robinson Story 1950

Rae Robinson

★ 6.4
The Fight Never Ends 1948

★ NR
What a Guy 1948

★ NR
Easy to Get 1947

Drugstore Girl

★ NR
Love in Syncopation 1946

★ NR
That Man of Mine 1946

Joan

★ NR

Images