Ruby Dee

Nominated for Oscar. Another 15 wins & 16 nominations See more awards »

Known For

American Gangster (2007)

Do the Right Thing (1989)

Guiding Light (1952)

Jungle Fever (1991)

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Filmography

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Actress (110 titles)

2013 King Dog (filming)
Mary Johnson

2013/I 1982 (post-production)
Rose Brown

2013 Betty and Coretta (TV movie)
Narrator

2012/I A Thousand Words
Annie McCall

2011 Politics of Love

2011 Video Girl

2011 Red & Blue Marbles
Professor Wright

2010 Dream Street

2009 The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll
Miss Candy

2009 America (TV movie)
Mrs. Harper

2007 Steam
Doris

2007 American Gangster
Mama Lucas

2007 All About Us
Ms. Ella

2007 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (TV series)
Mary Wilson

– Empty Eyes (2007) … Mary Wilson

2006 The Way Back Home
Maude

2006 Naming Number Two
Nanna Maria

2005 Their Eyes Were Watching God (TV movie)
Nanny

2002 Baby of the Family

2001 Taking Back Our Town (TV movie)
Emelda West

2001 Feast of All Saints (TV movie)
Elsie Claviere

1999-2000 Little Bill (TV series)
Alice the Great

– Are We There Yet?/Super Family Fun Land! (2000) … Alice the Great (voice)

– Elephant on the Loose/If a Bird Rings, Answer It (2000) … Alice the Great (voice)

– Zoopity Zoo/The Neighborhood Park (2000) … Alice the Great (voice)

– Just a Baby/The Campout (1999) … Alice the Great (voice)

2000 Finding Buck McHenry (TV movie)
Mrs. Henry

2000 A Storm in Summer (TV movie)
Grandmother

1999 Touched by an Angel (TV series)
LaBelle

– The Christmas Gift (1999) … LaBelle

1999 Shelly Fisher (TV movie)
Mrs. Greenspan

1999 Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (TV movie)
Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany

1999 Baby Geniuses
Margo

1999 Passing Glory (TV movie)
Mommit Porter

1999 Cosby (TV series)
Mattie

– Ol' Betsy (1999) … Mattie

1998 Promised Land (TV series)
Alicia

– Baptism of Fire (1998) … Alicia

1998 The Wall (TV movie)
Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge")

1997 A Simple Wish
Hortense

1996 Stories from the Edge (TV movie)
(segment "Tuesday Morning Ride")

1996 Captive Heart: The James Mink Story (TV movie)
Indigo

1996 Mr. and Mrs. Loving (TV movie)
Sophia

1994-1995 Street Gear (TV series)
Mosley Davis

– Davis vs. Davis (1995) … Mosley Davis

– Smiley Face (1995) … Mosley Davis

– Don't Ask, Don't Tell (1995) … Mosley Davis

– Look Who's Quiet Now (1995) … Mosley Davis

– Two Blind Mice (1995) … Mosley Davis

See all 13 episodes »

1995 American Masters (TV series documentary)
Narrator

– Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul (1995) … Narrator (voice)

1995 Just Cause
Evangeline

1995 Tuesday Morning Ride (short)

1994 Whitewash (TV short)
Grandmother (voice)

1994 The Stand (TV mini-series)
Mother Abigail Freemantle

– The Stand (1994) … Mother Abigail Freemantle

– The Betrayal (1994) … Mother Abigail Freemantle

– The Dreams (1994) … Mother Abigail Freemantle

– The Plague (1994) … Mother Abigail Freemantle

1993 Cop and ½
Rachel

1993 Evening Shade (TV series)
Aurelia Danforth

– They Can't Take That Away from Me (1993) … Aurelia Danforth

1993 The Ernest Green Story (TV movie)
Mrs. Lydia Wilson

1993 The Poetry Hall of Fame (TV movie)

1992 Middle Ages (TV series)
Estelle Williams

1991 Jazztime Tale (TV movie)
Narrator (voice)

1991 Jungle Fever
Lucinda Purify

1990 Decoration Day (TV movie)
Rowena, Finch's Housekeeper

1990 The Golden Girls (TV series)
Viola Watkins

– Wham, Bam, Thank You, Mammy (1990) … Viola Watkins

1990 The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (TV movie)
Jackie's mother

1990 China Beach (TV series)
Ruby

– Skylark (1990) … Ruby

1985-1990 American Playhouse (TV series)
Mrs. Grimes / Zora Neal Hurston

– Zora Is My Name! (1990) … Zora Neal Hurston

– Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985) … Mrs. Grimes

1990 Love at Large
Corrine Dart

1989 Do the Right Thing
Mother Sister

1988 Lincoln (TV mini-series)
Elizabeth Keckley

1988 Windmills of the Gods (TV movie)
Dorothy - Secretary to Mary Ashley

1987 Spenser: For Hire (TV series)
Eleanor Simpson

– Personal Demons (1987) … Eleanor Simpson

1987 Crown Dick (TV movie)
Johnson's Mother

1985 The Atlanta Child Murders (TV mini-series)
Faye Williams

1984 Go Tell It on the Mountain
Mrs. Grimes

1982 Long Day's Journey Into Night (TV movie)
Mary Tyrone

1982 Cat People
Female

1980 Ossie and Ruby! (TV series)
Co-host (1980-81)

1980 All God's Children (TV movie)
Irene Whitfield

1980 The Torture of Mothers

1979 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (TV movie)
Grandmother Baxter

1979 Roots: The Next Generations (TV mini-series)
Queen Haley

– Episode #1.6 (1979) … Queen Haley

– Episode #1.4 (1979) … Queen Haley

– Episode #1.3 (1979) … Queen Haley

1976 Cool Red
Leah Matanzima

1975 Police Woman (TV series)
Cora Sanders

– Target Black (1975) … Cora Sanders

1974 Wedding Band (TV movie)
Julia Augustine

1974 It's Good to Be Alive (TV movie)
Ruth Campanella

1973 Tenafly (TV series)
Jan Lennox

– The Window That Wasn't (1973) … Jan Lennox

1973 The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People (TV series)

– Today Is Ours

1973 Chelsea D.H.O. (TV movie)
Dr. Bianca Pearson

1972 Black Girl
Netta's mother

1972 Buck and the Preacher
Ruth

1972 To Be Young, Gifted, and Black (TV movie)

1971 The Sheriff (TV movie)
Sue-Anne Lucas

1968-1969 Peyton Place (TV series)
Alma Miles

– Episode #5.47 (1969) … Alma Miles

– Episode #5.46 (1969) … Alma Miles

– Episode #5.44 (1969) … Alma Miles

– Episode #5.43 (1969) … Alma Miles

– Episode #5.41 (1969) … Alma Miles

See all 20 episodes »

1969 The Bold Ones: The Protectors (TV series)
Lucinda

– Deadlock (1969) … Lucinda

1968 Uptight
Laurie

1967 Guiding Light (TV series)
Martha Frazier

1967 The Incident
Joan Robinson

1966 Armchair Theatre (TV series)
Vicky Kingsbury

– Neighbours (1966) … Vicky Kingsbury

1965 The Defenders (TV series)
Catherine Collins

– The Sworn Twelve (1965) … Catherine Collins

1963 East Side/West Side (TV series)
Marilyn Marsden

– No Hiding Place (1963) … Marilyn Marsden

1963 The Great Adventure (TV series)
Harriet Tubman

– Go Down, Moses (1963) … Harriet Tubman

1963 The Fugitive (TV series)
Laura Smith

– Decision in the Ring (1963) … Laura Smith

1963 Gone Are the Days!
Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins

1963 The Doctors and the Nurses (TV series)
Jenny Bishop

– Express Stop from Lenox Avenue (1963) … Jenny Bishop

1963 The Balcony
Thief

1963 Alcoa Premiere (TV series)
Irene Clayton

– Impact of an Execution (1963) … Irene Clayton

1962 Seven Times Monday (TV movie)
Lila

1961 A Raisin in the Sun
Ruth Younger

1960-1961 Play of the Week (TV series)
Jane / Lila

– Black Monday (1961) … Jane

– Seven Times Monday (1960) … Lila

1959 Take a Giant Step
Christine the maid

1959 Our Virgin Island
Ruth

1958 St. Louis Blues
Elizabeth

1957 Edge of the City
Lucy Tyler

1956 The Great American Pastime
Mrs. Ashlow (uncredited)

1954 Go Man Go
Irma Jackson

1951 The Tall Target
Rachel, Slave Maid

1951 Frontiers of Faith (TV series)
Grace Gilmore

– The Bitter Cup … Grace Gilmore

1950 No Way Out
Connie Brooks (uncredited)

1950 The Jackie Robinson Story
Rae Robinson

1949 The Fight Never Ends
Janie

1948 What a Guy

1946 The First Year (TV movie)

1946 That Man of Mine

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Soundtrack (2 titles)

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Writer (1 title)

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Producer (1 title)

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Self (80 titles)

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Archive Footage (3 titles)

Personal Details

Other Works:

(1983) Stage: Directed "Zora Is My Name". See more »

Publicity Listings:

1 Biographical Movie | 2 Print Biographies | 2 Interviews | 1 Article | See more »

Height:

5' 2¼" (1.58 m)

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Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

I didn't have the kind of talent or personality that kept me dreaming about Hollywood. They don't hire little colored girls to do this or that. See more »

Trivia:

2004: Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, along with Elton John, Joan Sutherland, John Williams, Warren Beatty and husband Ossie Davis. See more »

Star Sign:

Scorpio

Ruby Dee (I)

Trivia:

Born:

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Known For

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Other Works:

Publicity Listings:

Height:

Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

Trivia:

Star Sign:

	STARmeter SEE RANK Up 1,432 this week View rank on IMDbPro » Ruby Dee (I) Actress \| Soundtrack \| Writer Trivia: 2004: Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, along with Elton John, Joan Sutherland, John Williams, Warren Beatty and husband Ossie Davis. See more trivia » Born: Ruby Ann Wallace October 27, 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA
	More at IMDbPro » Contact Info: View agent Represent Ruby Dee? Add or change photos