Ossie Davis
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Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He may be best known for his roles in Spike Lee-directed films such as School Daze (1988) and Do the Right Thing (1989). Other films Davis acted in include The Hill (1965), A Man Called Adam (1966), Let's Do It Again (1975), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Grumpy Old Men (1993), The Client (1994), Dr. Dolittle (1998), Dinosaur (2000), and Bubba Ho-Tep (2002). He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, from 1948 until his death.
Known for
Credits
Dinosaur (2000)
as Yar (voice)
Doctor Dolittle (1998)
as Archer Dolittle
The Client (1994)
as Harry Roosevelt
Malcolm X (1992)
as Eulogy Performer (voice)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
as Da Mayor
12 Angry Men (1997)
as Juror 2
Gladiator (1992)
as Noah
Grumpy Old Men (1993)
as Chuck
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
as Marshall
Jungle Fever (1991)
as Reverend Purify
She Hate Me (2004)
as Judge Buchanan
Cop & ½ (1993)
as Detective in Squad Room
Bubba Ho-tep (2002)
as John F. "Jack" Kennedy
The Secret Path (1999)
as Too Tall
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues (2022)
as Self (archive footage)
The Hill (1965)
as Jacko King
Fourteen Hours (1951)
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
The Scalphunters (1968)
as Joseph Lee
Get on the Bus (1996)
as Jeremiah / 'Pop'
School Daze (1988)
as Coach Odom
Baadasssss! (2004)
as Granddad
No Way Out (1950)
as John Brooks (uncredited)
The Cardinal (1963)
as Father Gillis
Night Gallery (1969)
as Osmond Portifoy
Miss Evers' Boys (1997)
as Mr. Evers
Avenging Angel (1985)
as Capt. Harry Moradian
Let's Do It Again (1975)
as Elder Johnson
Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class (1968)
as Narrator
4 Little Girls (1997)
as Self - Actor and Playwright
Harry & Son (1984)
as Raymond
Feast of All Saints (2001)
as Jean-Jacques
Sam Whiskey (1969)
as Jed Hooker
Death of a Prophet (1981)
Actor
The Peace! (2005)
as Self
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist (1998)
as Self
A Man Called Adam (1966)
as Nelson Davis
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)
as Self
The Evolution of an American Filmmaker (2003)
as Self
The House of God (1984)
as Dr. Sanders
Hot Stuff (1979)
as Captain John Geiberger
Slaves (1969)
as Luke
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X' (2005)
as Self
The Unfinished Journey (1999)
as Narrator (voice)
Proud (2004)
as Lorenzo DuFau
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003)
Actor
Lincoln (1992)
as Frederick Douglas (voice)
The Ernest Green Story (1993)
as Grandfather
Deacons for Defense (2005)
as Reverend 'Rev' Gregory
John Brown's Raid (1960)
as Dangerfield Newby
Freedom Road (1979)
as Narrator
I'm Not Rappaport (1996)
as Midge Carter
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige (1981)
as Chuffy Russell
Making 'Do the Right Thing' (1989)
as Self
The Tenth Level (1976)
as Reed
The Outsider (1967)
as Lt. Wagner
Gone Are the Days! (1963)
as Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson
Here's to Life! (2000)
as Duncan Cox
Black Liberation (1967)
as Narrator
The Sun... the Sand... the Hill (1965)
as Jason King (archive footage)
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice (1994)
as Uncle Phil
Malcolm X (1972)
as Eulogy (voice)
Shock Treatment (1964)
as Capshaw
The Soul Collector (1999)
as Mordecai
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder (1995)
as Uncle Phil
Teacher, Teacher (1969)
as Charles Carter
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks (2004)
as Self
Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories (1986)
as Anansi the Spider (Sleepytime Songs and Stories) (voice)
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997)
as Self
The Real Malcolm X (1992)
Actor
The Red Shoes (1990)
Actor
The Sheriff (1971)
as James Lucas
The Android Affair (1995)
as Dr. Winston
A Vow to Cherish (1999)
as Alexander Billman
Kongi's Harvest (1970)
as Narrator
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand (1999)
as Self
Wattstax (1973)
as Self (uncredited)
Finding Buck McHenry (2000)
as Buck McHenry
Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2003)
as Himself
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood (1998)
as Self
The Fall (1969)
Actor
All God's Children (1980)
as Blaine Whitfield
The Legend of the Candy Cane (2001)
as Julius (voice)
Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World (1994)
as Narrator
Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood (1984)
as Narrator
Malcolm X: Make It Plain (1994)
as Self
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve (1999)
as Caretaker
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen (1975)
as Narrator
Love in Exile (2026)
Actor
Now is the Time (1967)
as Self
Countdown at Kusini (1976)
as Ernest Motapo
Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun' (2002)
as Self
The History Makers: Success (2005)
as Self
Hands of Inge (1962)
as Narrator (voice)
Goin' Back to T-Town (1993)
as Narrator
The Tuskegee Airmen: They Fought Two Wars (2003)
as Narrator
Haiti: Killing the Dream (1992)
Actor
Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore (2001)
as Narrator
Unstoppable (2005)
as Self
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid (1977)
as Dr. Fredericks
Freedom Man (1979)
as Benjamin Banneker
Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers (1997)
as Narrator
Tyler Texas Black Film Collection (1985)
as Himself