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