IMDb > Ruby Dee
Quicklinks
Top Links
biographyby votesawardsNewsDeskmessage board
Filmographies
categorizedby typeby yearby ratingsby votesby TV series awards titles for saleby genre by keyword power search credited with tv schedule
Biographical
biography other works publicity contact photo gallery resume NewsDeskmessage board
External Links
official sites miscellaneous photographs sound clips video clips

Ruby Dee (I) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 29 | slideshow | add photos) Videos (see all 26 NEW)
Do the Right Thing (1989) -- After Mister Mayor (Ossie Davis) risks his life to save a young boy, Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) compliments him.
"Iconoclasts" (2005): Season 3: Episode 2 -- Clip from the Alicia Keys + Ruby Dee episode of Iconoclasts, Season 3.
Do the Right Thing (1989) -- On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
Do the Right Thing (1989) -- While trying to break up the fight that broke out in Sal's after the hottest day of the year, a policeman chokes Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) to death
Season IV: Factions at War (2008) -- Award Season '08. Lisa Rinna and Joey Fatone interview Ruby Dee at Hollywood's biggest Red Carpet event.

Overview

Contact:
View agent contact info on IMDbPro.
Trivia:
2004: Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, along with Elton John... more
STARmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 12 wins & 14 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(30 articles)
Goldberg Honoured With Career Achievement Award
 (From WENN. 20 October 2009, 3:01 PM, PDT)

Halle, Oprah, Beyonce, Mariah & More Rumored To Be In New Tyler Perry Film
 (From The Humor Mill. 25 September 2009, 2:22 AM, PDT)

Filmography

Actress
View by NEW
Year Gross (USD) Rating
- 1. Dream Street (2010) 2010 - -
- 2. The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2009) Miss Candy the bartender 2009 - 6.1 (8)
- 3. America (2009) (TV) Mrs. Harper 2009 - 5.3 (127)
- 4. The Middle of Nowhere (in production) (2009) Cornelia 2009 - -
- 5. Red & Blue Marbles (post-production) (2009) Professor Wright 2009 - -
- 6. Steam (2007) Doris 2007 - 5.3 (53)
- 7. American Gangster (2007) Mama Lucas 2007 $265M 8.0 (102,616)
- 8. All About Us (2007) Ms. Ella 2007 - 3.7 (60)
- 9. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)   Mary Wilson (1 episode, 2007) 2007 - 8.5 (17,424)
AKAs:
  • CSI: Las Vegas (South Africa: English title: informal alternative title) (USA: syndication title)
  • C.S.I. (USA: short title)
  • CSI: Weekends (USA: promotional title)
  • Les experts (Canada: French title)
- 10. The Way Back Home (2006) Maude 2006 - 7.5 (47)
- 11. No. 2 (2006) Nanna Maria 2006 - 6.4 (418)
- 12. Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005) (TV)   Nanny 2005 - 6.2 (997)
AKAs:
  • Oprah Winfrey Presents Their Eyes Were Watching God (Australia: DVD box title)
- 13. Baby of the Family (2002) 2002 - 5.9 (10)
- 14. Taking Back Our Town (2001) (TV) Emelda West 2001 - 5.0 (55)
- 15. Feast of All Saints (2001) (TV)   Elsie Claviere 2001 - 6.1 (341)
AKAs:
  • Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints (USA: complete title)
- 16. Finding Buck McHenry (2000) (TV) Mrs. Henry 2000 - 5.3 (155)
- 17. A Storm in Summer (2000) (TV) Grandmother 2000 - 6.8 (252)
- 18. "Touched by an Angel" (1994)   LaBelle (1 episode, 1999) 1999 - 5.4 (1,308)
- 19. Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999) (TV)   Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany 1999 - 6.3 (139)
AKAs:
  • Having Our Say (USA: short title)
- 20. Baby Geniuses (1999) Margo 1999 - 2.2 (8,353)
- 21. Passing Glory (1999) (TV) Mommit Porter 1999 - 6.6 (149)
- 22. "Cosby" (1996)   Mattie (1 episode, 1999) 1999 - 6.3 (422)
1 TV episode:
- 23. "Little Bill" (1999) Alice the Great (unknown episodes) 1999 - 7.4 (122)
- 24. "Promised Land" (1996)   Alicia (1 episode, 1998) 1998 - 7.3 (122)
AKAs:
  • Home of the Brave
- 25. The Wall (1998) (TV) Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge") 1998 - 6.3 (65)
- 26. A Simple Wish (1997)   Hortense 1997 - 4.9 (1,398)
AKAs:
  • The Fairy Godmother (Canada: English title)
- 27. Stories from the Edge (1996) (TV) (segment "Tuesday Morning Ride") 1996 - -
- 28. Captive Heart: The James Mink Story (1996) (TV) Indigo 1996 - 7.2 (107)
- 29. Mr. and Mrs. Loving (1996) (TV) Sophia 1996 - 6.9 (249)
- 30. "American Masters" (1983)   Narrator (1 episode, 1995) 1995 - 8.3 (66)
- 31. Just Cause (1995) Evangeline 1995 $62.9M 6.1 (8,546)
- 32. Tuesday Morning Ride (1995) 1995 - 6.9 (20)
- 33. Whitewash (1994) (TV) (voice) Grandmother 1994 - 6.9 (28)
- 34. "The Stand" (1994)   Mother Abigail Freemantle (4 episodes, 1994) 1994 - 7.2 (11,363)
- 35. Cop and ½ (1993)   Rachel 1993 - 3.1 (3,875)
AKAs:
  • Cop and a Half
- 36. "Evening Shade" (1990)   Aurelia Danforth (1 episode, 1993) 1993 - 7.3 (189)
- 37. The Ernest Green Story (1993) (TV) Mrs. Lydia Wilson 1993 - 6.9 (132)
- 38. "Middle Ages" (1992) Estelle Williams (unknown episodes) 1992 - 5.7 (14)
- 39. Jazztime Tale (1991) (TV) (voice) Narrator 1991 - -
- 40. Jungle Fever (1991) Lucinda Purify 1991 - 6.4 (7,070)
- 41. Decoration Day (1990) (TV) Rowena, Finch's Housekeeper 1990 - 7.3 (163)
- 42. "The Golden Girls" (1985)   Viola Watkins (1 episode, 1990) 1990 - 8.1 (4,204)
- 43. The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990) (TV) Jackie's mother 1990 - 6.9 (79)
- 44. "China Beach" (1988)   Ruby (1 episode, 1990) 1990 - 8.1 (504)
1 TV episode:
- 45. Love at Large (1990) Corrine Dart 1990 - 5.9 (512)
- 46. Do the Right Thing (1989) Mother Sister 1989 - 7.9 (24,389)
- 47. Lincoln (1988) (TV)   Elizabeth Keckley 1988 - 7.1 (154)
AKAs:
  • Gore Vidal's Lincoln
- 48. Windmills of the Gods (1988) (TV)   Dorothy - Secretary to Mary Ashley 1988 - 6.1 (112)
AKAs:
  • Sidney Sheldon's Windmills of the Gods
- 49. "Spenser: For Hire" (1985)   Eleanor Simpson (1 episode, 1987) 1987 - 7.6 (311)
1 TV episode:
- 50. "The Atlanta Child Murders" (1985) Faye Williams 1985 - 6.2 (159)
- 51. Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985) (TV) Mrs. Grimes 1985 - 7.8 (49)
- 52. Long Day's Journey Into Night (1982) (TV) Mary Tyrone 1982 - 8.9 (5)
- 53. Cat People (1982) Female 1982 - 5.8 (6,244)
- 54. "American Playhouse" (1982)   Zora Neal Hurston (1 episode) 1982 - 7.2 (15)
1 TV episode:
- 55. "Ossie and Ruby!" (1980) Co-host (1980-81) (unknown episodes) 1980 - 8.6 (5)
- 56. All God's Children (1980) (TV) Irene Whitfield 1980 - 6.7 (21)
- 57. The Torture of Mothers (1980) 1980 - -
- 58. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979) (TV) Grandmother Baxter 1979 - 7.1 (91)
- 59. "Roots: The Next Generations" (1979) Queen Haley 1979 - 7.6 (455)
- 60. Countdown at Kusini (1976)   Leah Matanzima 1976 - 4.7 (9)
AKAs:
  • Cool Red (USA)
- 61. "Police Woman" (1974)   Cora Sanders (1 episode, 1975) 1975 - 6.6 (186)
1 TV episode:
- 62. It's Good to Be Alive (1974) (TV) Ruth Campanella 1974 - 6.8 (54)
- 63. "Tenafly" (1973)   Jan Lennox (1 episode, 1973) 1973 - 7.1 (10)
- 64. Chelsea D.H.O. (1973) (TV) Dr. Bianca Pearson 1973 - 3.6 (8)
- 65. "The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People" (1973)   (1 episode) 1973 - -
- 66. Black Girl (1972) Netta's mother 1972 - 6.8 (110)
- 67. Buck and the Preacher (1972) Ruth 1972 - 6.2 (371)
- 68. To Be Young, Gifted, and Black (1972) (TV) 1972 - 6.1 (11)
- 69. The Sheriff (1971) (TV) Sue-Anne Lucas 1971 - 7.0 (28)
- 70. Deadlock (1969) (TV) Lucinda 1969 - 7.8 (12)
- 71. "Peyton Place" (1964) Alma Miles (unknown episodes, 1968-1969) 1968 - 7.9 (84)
- 72. Up Tight! (1968) Laurie 1968 - 7.4 (76)
- 73. "The Guiding Light" (1952)   Martha Frazier (unknown episodes, 1967) 1967 - 6.6 (104)
AKAs:
  • Guiding Light (USA: new title)
- 74. The Incident (1967) Joan Robinson 1967 - 7.7 (915)
- 75. "Armchair Theatre" (1956)   Vicky Kingsbury (1 episode, 1966) 1966 - 7.4 (22)
1 TV episode:
- 76. "The Defenders" (1961)   Catherine Collins (1 episode, 1965) 1965 - 8.7 (86)
1 TV episode:
- 77. "East Side/West Side" (1963)   Marilyn Marsden (1 episode, 1963) 1963 - 8.8 (35)
1 TV episode:
- 78. "The Great Adventure" (1963)   Harriet Tubman (1 episode, 1963) 1963 - 8.6 (33)
- 79. "The Fugitive" (1963)   Laura (1 episode, 1963) 1963 - 8.4 (502)
- 80. Gone Are the Days! (1963)   Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins 1963 - 6.8 (72)
AKAs:
  • Purlie Victorious
  • The Man from C.O.T.T.O.N. (USA: reissue title)
- 81. "The Nurses" (1962)   Jenny Bishop (1 episode, 1963) 1963 - 7.8 (18)
AKAs:
  • The Doctors and the Nurses (USA: new title)
- 82. The Balcony (1963) Thief 1963 - 6.0 (170)
- 83. "Alcoa Premiere" (1961)   Irene Clayton (1 episode, 1963) 1963 - 7.0 (33)
- 84. Seven Times Monday (1962) (TV) Lila 1962 - -
- 85. A Raisin in the Sun (1961) Ruth Younger 1961 - 8.1 (2,283)
- 86. "Play of the Week" (1959)   Lila (2 episodes, 1960-1961) 1961 - 5.3 (14)
- 87. Take a Giant Step (1959) Christine the maid 1959 - 6.7 (81)
- 88. St. Louis Blues (1958) Elizabeth 1958 - 7.0 (262)
- 89. Virgin Island (1958)   Ruth 1958 - 6.3 (34)
AKAs:
  • Our Virgin Island (USA)
- 90. Edge of the City (1957)   Lucy Tyler 1957 - 7.0 (810)
AKAs:
  • A Man Is Ten Feet Tall (UK)
- 91. The Great American Pastime (1956) (uncredited) Mrs. Ashlow 1956 - 5.4 (48)
- 92. Go, Man, Go! (1954) Irma Jackson 1954 - 6.3 (47)
- 93. The Tall Target (1951) Rachel, Slave Maid 1951 - 7.3 (403)
- 94. "Frontiers of Faith" (1951)   Grace Gilmore (1 episode) 1951 - -
1 TV episode:
- 95. No Way Out (1950) (uncredited) Connie Brooks 1950 - 7.5 (1,020)
- 96. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) Rae Robinson 1950 - 6.5 (352)
- 97. The Fight Never Ends (1949) Janie 1949 - 6.7 (5)
- 98. What a Guy (1948) 1948 - -
- 99. The First Year (1946) (TV) 1946 - -
- 100. That Man of Mine (1946) 1946 - -
Soundtrack
View by NEW
Year Gross (USD) Rating
- 1. "The Stand" (1994)   (unknown episodes) 1994 - 7.2 (11,363)
AKAs:
  • Stephen King's The Stand
Writer
View by NEW
Year Gross (USD) Rating
- 1. Up Tight! (1968) (writer) 1968 - 7.4 (76)
Producer
View by NEW
Year Gross (USD) Rating
- 1. Up Tight! (1968) (co-producer) 1968 - 7.4 (76)
Self
View by NEW
Year Gross (USD) Rating
- 1. For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots (post-production) (2010) (TV) (voice) 2010 - -
- 2. Drama Mamas! (post-production) (2010) Herself 2010 - -
- 3. Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (in production) (2010) Herself 2010 - -
- 4. A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School (2009) (voice) Narrator 2009 - -
- 5. "The Tyra Banks Show" (2005)   Herself (1 episode, 2009) 2009 - -
- 6. Let Freedom Sing: How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement (2009) Herself 2009 - -
- 7. "Entertainment Tonight" (1981)   Herself (2 episodes, 2008) 2008 - 3.7 (658)
AKAs:
  • E.T. (USA: informal title)
  • ET Weekend (Australia: weekend title)
  • Entertainment This Week (weekend title)
  • This Week in Entertainment (USA: weekend title)
- 8. Meet Mary Pleasant (2008) (TV) Herself 2008 - -
- 9. The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV) Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2008 - 6.7 (807)
- 10. La noche de los Oscar (2008) (TV) Herself 2008 - -
- 11. An Evening at the Academy Awards (2008) (TV) Herself 2008 - -
- 12. "Tavis Smiley" (2004)   Herself (1 episode, 2008) 2008 - 5.6 (86)
1 TV episode:
- 13. 39th NAACP Image Awards (2008) (TV) Herself 2008 - -
- 14. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (1986)   Herself (1 episode, 2008) 2008 - 7.4 (10)
AKAs:
  • Oprah (USA: short title)
- 15. "Iconoclasts" (2005)   (1 episode, 2007) 2007 - 7.0 (92)
- 16. "HBO First Look" (1992)   Herself (1 episode, 2007) 2007 - 6.4 (154)
- 17. In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema (2007) (V) Herself 2007 - 7.6 (5)
- 18. The 2006 Black Movie Awards (2006) (TV) Herself 2006 - 3.2 (35)
- 19. Legends Ball (2006) (TV) Herself 2006 - 5.4 (76)
- 20. Lockdown, USA (2006) Narrator 2006 - 6.5 (28)
- 21. An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Stevie Wonder (2006) (TV) Herself 2006 - 3.2 (13)
- 22. The Black Movie Awards (2005) (TV) Herself 2005 - 2.6 (11)
- 23. "Character Studies" (2005)   Herself (2 episodes, 2005) 2005 - -
- 24. The History Makers (2005) (V) Herself 2005 - -
- 25. The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (2004) (TV) Herself - Honoree 2004 - 6.1 (51)
- 26. "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry" (2002)   Herself (1 episode, 2004) 2004 - 6.8 (81)
AKAs:
  • Def Poetry (USA: short title)
  • Def Poetry Jam (USA: promotional title)
- 27. Beah: A Black Woman Speaks (2003) Herself 2003 - 7.6 (44)
- 28. 2003 Trumpet Awards (2003) (TV) Herself 2003 - 1.3 (5)
- 29. Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003) Reader 2003 - 8.1 (127)
- 30. Hughes' Dream Harlem (2002) (TV) Herself 2002 - 6.0 (5)
- 31. Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television (2002) (TV) Herself 2002 - 3.9 (54)
- 32. "Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years" (2001) Narrator (unknown episodes) 2001 - 7.9 (24)
- 33. 7th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2001) (TV) Herself 2001 - 5.6 (42)
- 34. "Intimate Portrait" (1993)   Herself (1 episode, 2001) 2001 - 7.8 (52)
1 TV episode:
- 35. Freedom Never Dies: The Legacy of Harry T. Moore (2001) (TV) Narrator 2001 - -
- 36. The Unfinished Journey (1999) (voice) Narration 1999 - 5.7 (186)
- 37. "The Directors" (1999)   Herself (1 episode) 1999 - 7.6 (81)
- 38. NY TV: By the People Who Made It - Part I & II (1998) (TV) Herself 1998 - -
- 39. Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood (1998) (TV) Herself 1998 - 6.1 (12)
- 40. Porgy and Bess: An American Voice (1998) (TV) Herself/Narrator 1998 - 8.8 (8)
- 41. A Time to Dance: The Life and Work of Norma Canner (1998) (voice) Narrator 1998 - 9.6 (5)
- 42. Sports on the Silver Screen (1997) (TV) (uncredited) Herself 1997 - 5.2 (27)
- 43. The 48th Annual Tony Awards (1994) (TV) Herself - Presenter 1994 - 6.3 (6)
- 44. The Stand: The Making of... (1994) (TV) Herself 1994 - 6.9 (7)
- 45. Homeward Bound (1994) (TV) Herself 1994 - 4.8 (17)
- 46. "Reading Rainbow" (1983)   Herself (2 episodes, 1984-1992) 1992 - 8.1 (415)
2 TV episodes:
- 47. Color Adjustment (1992)   Narrator 1992 - 6.9 (65)
AKAs:
  • Color Adjustment: Blacks in Prime Time (USA: festival title)
- 48. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday (1990) (TV) Herself 1990 - -
- 49. 22nd NAACP Image Awards (1990) (TV) Herself 1990 - 2.9 (21)
- 50. Making 'Do the Right Thing' (1989) (TV) Herself 1989 - 7.1 (88)
- 51. "Ebony/Jet Showcase" (1983)   Herself (2 episodes, 1988) 1988 - -
- 52. "A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill Moyers" (1983)   Herself (2 episodes, 1984) 1984 - -
- 53. "Great Performances" (1972)   Herself (1 episode, 1982) 1982 - 8.4 (105)
- 54. "Tony Brown's Journal" (1976)   Herself (1 episode, 1978) 1978 - -
- 55. Lorraine Hansberry: The Black Experience in the Creation of Drama (1975) 1975 - -
- 56. Wattstax (1973) (uncredited) Herself 1973 - 7.5 (313)
- 57. "He Said, She Said" (1969)   Herself (1 episode, 1970) 1970 - 5.0 (7)
1 TV episode:
- 58. King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970) Herself 1970 - 7.1 (88)
- 59. "The Merv Griffin Show" (1962)   Herself (1 episode, 1968) 1968 - 7.3 (95)
- 60. "I've Got a Secret" (1952)   Guest panelist (1 episode, 1963) 1963 - 8.3 (89)
1 TV episode:
- 61. "The DuPont Show of the Week" (1961)   Herself (1 episode, 1962) 1962 - 8.2 (19)
- 1. "Biography"  
1 TV episode:
- 2. TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004) (V)
- 3. America at the Movies (1976) Ruth Younger

Additional Details

Other Works:
Book of poetry: "Glowchild". more
Publicity Listings:
2 Print Biographies | 1 Article more

Message Boards

Discuss this person with other users on IMDb message board for Ruby Dee (I)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Oscar nod is a joke otempko
2 beautiful women at this age jotamawes
She won the SAG?????? Jacksterboy
Any Oscar Chances? okrim37
To all the people who are complaining about Ruby Dee's Oscar nod... fistjedi
She's even older than I am, but I still think she's hot! VeryOldFart
more
Find where Ruby Dee is credited alongside another name
Ruby Dee &  
You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.
With our Resume service you can add photos and build a complete resume to help you achieve the best possible presentation on the IMDb.
Click here to add your resume and/or your photos to IMDb.