Quick Facts
- NAME: Ossie Davis
- OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist, Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Director, Writer
- BIRTH DATE: December 18, 1917
- DEATH DATE: February 04, 2005
- EDUCATION: Howard University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Cogdell, Georgia
- PLACE OF DEATH: Miami Beach, Florida
Best Known For
Actor and writer Ossie Davis was a social activist and humanitarian. He often performed with his wife, Ruby Dee, in plays, films and on television.
Ossie Davis. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 11:47, Feb 07, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/ossie-davis-9268149
Ossie Davis [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/ossie-davis-9268149, February 07
" Ossie Davis." 2012. Biography.com 07 Feb 2012, 11:47 http://www.biography.com/people/ossie-davis-9268149
' Ossie Davis', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/ossie-davis-9268149 [accessed Feb 07, 2012]
" Ossie Davis," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/ossie-davis-9268149 (accessed Feb 07, 2012).
Ossie Davis [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 Feb 07]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/ossie-davis-9268149.
Ossie Davis, http://www.biography.com/people/ossie-davis-9268149 (last visited Feb 07, 2012).
Ossie Davis, http://www.biography.com/people/ossie-davis-9268149 (last visited Feb 07, 2012).
Synopsis
Profile
(born Dec. 18, 1917, Cogdell, Ga., U.S.—died Feb. 4, 2005, Miami Beach, Fla.) American writer, actor, director, and social activist who was known for his contributions to African American theatre and film and for his passionate support of civil rights and humanitarian causes. He was also noted for his artistic partnership with his wife, Ruby Dee, which was considered one of the theatre and film world's most distinguished.After attending Howard University in Washington, D.C., Davis moved to New York City to pursue a career as a writer. He served in the army during World War II but returned to New York City after the war with an interest in acting. In 1946 he made his Broadway debut in Jeb, during the run of which he met Dee, whom he married in 1948.
Davis and Dee frequently appeared together on stage, screen, and television—most notably in Purlie Victorious (1961), a play written by Davis and later adapted for the screen as Gone Are the Days (1963). Davis directed and wrote the films Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) and Countdown to Kusini (1976). He continued to work into the 21st century, combining his acting pursuits with writing and civil rights campaigning. Davis made several films with Spike Lee, including Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992), in which he reenacted the real-life eulogy he had given for the fallen civil rights leader. Davis also spoke at the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. The recipients of numerous honours, Davis and Dee were jointly awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1995 and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2004.
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