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