Ruby Dee

Person

Ruby Dee

Acting October 27, 1922

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 Younge…

IMDb

Known for

Popular titles

American Gangster

American Gangster

7.6 2007 Movie
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

7.6 2000 TV Show
Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing

7.8 1989 Movie
A Thousand Words

A Thousand Words

6.1 2012 Movie
Touched by an Angel

Touched by an Angel

7.2 1994 TV Show
The Golden Girls

The Golden Girls

7.6 1985 TV Show
Just Cause

Just Cause

6.3 1995 Movie
Great Performances

Great Performances

6.1 1971 TV Show
The Stand

The Stand

6.8 1994 TV Show
Cat People

Cat People

6.1 1982 Movie
The Dick Cavett Show

The Dick Cavett Show

6.8 1968 TV Show
The Fugitive

The Fugitive

7.3 1963 TV Show

Photos

More stills of Ruby Dee

Biography

A closer look

Read full biography

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).

Filmography

Movies and shows, newest first

  1. 2026
    Love in Exile

    Movie

  2. 2024
    Hollywood Black

    TV show Self (archive footage)

  3. 2018
    Poitier's Walter Lee

    Movie Self (archive footage)

  4. 2014
    Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee

    Movie Self

  5. 2013
    Betty and Coretta

    Movie Narrator

  6. 2013
    Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal

    Movie Self

  7. 2012
    A Thousand Words

    Movie Annie McCall

  8. 2011
    Video Girl

    Movie Valerie

  9. 2011
    Politics of Love

    Movie

  10. 2011
    The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll

    Movie Miss Candy

  11. 2009
    A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School

    Movie Narrator (voice)

  12. 2009
    America

    Movie Mrs. Harper

  13. 2007
    Steam

    Movie Doris

  14. 2007
    American Gangster

    Movie Mama Lucas

  15. 2007
    All About Us

    Movie Ms. Ella

  16. 2007
    In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema

    Movie Herself

More credits
  1. 2007
    Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson

    Movie Self

  2. 2006
    Discovering William Greaves

    Movie Self

  3. 2006
    The Way Back Home

    Movie Maude

  4. 2006
    No. 2

    Movie Nanna Maria

  5. 2005
    Iconoclasts

    TV show Self

  6. 2005
    Their Eyes Were Watching God

    Movie Nanny

  7. 2004
    Beah: A Black Woman Speaks

    Movie Self

  8. 2004
    TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

    Movie (archive footage)

  9. 2003
    Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives

    Movie

  10. 2002
    Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun'

    Movie Self

  11. 2002
    Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years

    TV show Narrator

  12. 2001
    Taking Back Our Town

    Movie Emelda West

  13. 2001
    Feast of All Saints

    Movie Elsie Claviere

  14. 2000
    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

    TV show Mary Wilson

  15. 2000
    Finding Buck McHenry

    Movie Mrs. Henry

  16. 2000
    A Storm in Summer

    Movie Grandmother

  17. 1999
    The Unfinished Journey

    Movie Narrator (voice)

  18. 1999
    Little Bill

    TV show

  19. 1999
    Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years

    Movie Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany

  20. 1999
    Baby Geniuses

    Movie Margo

  21. 1999
    Paul Robeson: Here I Stand

    Movie Self

  22. 1999
    Passing Glory

    Movie Mommit Porter

  23. 1998
    A Time To Dance: The Life and Work of Norma Canner

    Movie Narrator

  24. 1998
    Christianity: The First 1000 Years

    TV show Herself - Narrator