Ruby Dee

American actress

Born: October 27, 1922 · Died: June 11, 2014

Famous Persons

Who was Ruby Dee?

Ruby Dee (born Ruby Ann Wallace; October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress. She was married to Ossie Davis, with whom she frequently performed until his death in 2005. Dee started her career with the American Negro Theatre. She met her future husband working together on the play Jeb (1946). She originated the Broadway roles of Ruth Younger in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun (1959) and reprised the role in the 1961 film and Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins in the Ossie Davis play Purlie Victorious (1961) and reprised the role in the 1963 film.

Dee by Carl Van Vechten, September 25, 1962

Historical significance

She received numerous accolades, including an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Obie Award, and a Drama Desk Award, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1995, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2000, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004. She made her film debut in That Man of Mine (1946) before landing leading roles in films such as The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), Edge of the City (1957), Take a Giant Step (1959), and Buck and the Preacher (1972).

Dee with Congressman David Scott in 2006

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Ruby Dee.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/ruby-dee/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

APA

Ruby Dee. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 27, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/ruby-dee/

Chicago

“Ruby Dee.” thisDay. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/ruby-dee/.

Found an error? Let us know.