Davis went on to appear in several Broadway plays, including The Wisteria Trees (1950), The Royal Family (1951), Remains to Be Seen (1951–52), No Time for Sergeants (1956), and the musical Jamaica. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". He was married to Ruby Dee. Ossie Davis was born on December 18, 1917 in Cogdell, Georgia, USA as Raiford Chatman Davis. Other Works Ossie Davis is an American Actor, Are looking Ossie Davis Net Worth, Height, Family, Age, Weight, Biography & Wiki? Graduating in the top five percent of his class with an already burgeoning interest in theater, Davis had … This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ossie-Davis, New Georgia Encyclopedia - Arts and Culture - Biography of Ossie Davis, Turner Classic Movies - Biography of Ossie Davis, The Canadian Encyclopedia - Biography of Leonard Cohen, African American Registry - Biography of Ossie Davis, The History Makers - Biography of Ossie Davis, Ossie Davis - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up).

There he joined the Rose McClendon Players, a small theatre company in Harlem. He was a part of the civil rights movement and helped lead the way for a new generation of African American film directors. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. He was married to Ruby Dee. when he was born. Sang with the Melloharps, a vocal group, who had "I Love Only You" on Tin Pan Alley 145 in 1955. He died on February 4, 2005 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA. His ashes are inurned at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York. Ossie Davis, byname of Raiford Chatman Davis, (born December 18, 1917, Cogdell, Georgia, U.S.—died February 4, 2005, Miami Beach, Florida), 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 married to Ruby Dee. Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Actors Branch). Miss them alot. Actors/Actresses who have passed. 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. Corrections? Davis and Dee were next on stage together in 1959, performing in A Raisin in the Sun; Davis took over the role of Walter Lee Younger from Sidney Poitier, and Dee was cast as Ruth Younger.
The county clerk misunderstood his mother's dialectal pronunciation of his initials "R.C." He later played a coach in School Daze (1988), the first of several Spike Lee movies, including Do the Right Thing (1989); Jungle Fever (1991), in which Dee also appeared; and Malcolm X (1992), in which he reenacted the real-life eulogy he had given for the fallen civil rights leader. Davis returned to Broadway in 1986 to star in I’m Not Rappaport. A Celebration of Life: A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. He was an actor and writer, known for Do the Right Thing (1989), Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) and The Client (1994). Twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award: in 1958 as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical) for "Jamaica", and in 1970 as co-author of the book for Best Musical nominee "Purlie". Ossie Davis was born on December 18, 1917 in Cogdell, Georgia, USA as Raiford Chatman Davis. Looking for some great streaming picks? He was an actor and writer, known for Do the Right Thing (1989), Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) and The Client (1994). Publicity Listings Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).

Does Ossie Davis Dead or Alive? How Anthony Anderson’s Hollywood Ambitions Come Full Circle With Walk of Fame Honor, Act Like a Man: Harry Belafonte, Mr. Conscience, Spike Lee to Hold ‘Do the Right Thing’ Live Conversation With AFI Movie Club. Alternative Title: Raiford Chatman Davis. |  He inadvertently became known as "Ossie" when his birth certificate was being filed and his mother's pronunciation of his name as "R. C. Davis" was misheard by the courthouse clerk in Clinch County, Ga. Davis experienced racism from an early age when the KKKthreatened to shoot his father, whose job they … : The Birth of Black Cinema, Why Can't We Be a Family Again?/Downpour Resurfacing, Spike Lee's '25th Hour': The Evolution of an American Filmmaker, Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives, Counting on Democracy: The Untold Story of 175,000 Missing Votes in the 2000 Presidential Election, Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television - Variety, Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years, Swing: The Velocity of Celebration - 1937-1939, Freedom Never Dies: The Legacy of Harry T. Moore, The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore, John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen, NY TV: By the People Who Made It - Part I & II, Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood, Celebrate the Dream: 50 Years of Ebony Magazine, The African Burial Ground: An American Discovery, Saddam's Killing Fields/Life, Death and Politics/Malcolm X, Michael Landon: Memories with Laughter and Love, A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill Moyers. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

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