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).
Known For
Jungle Fever
(1991)
Lucinda Purify
American Gangster
(2007)
Mama Lucas
A Thousand Words
(2012)
Annie McCall
Do the Right Thing
(1989)
Mother Sister
Cat People
(1982)
Female
Just Cause
(1995)
Evangeline Ferguson
A Simple Wish
(1997)
Hortence
Cop and ½
(1993)
Rachel
Baby Geniuses
(1999)
Margo
Buck and the Preacher
(1972)
Ruth
No Way Out
(1950)
Connie Brooks (uncredited)
A Raisin in the Sun
(1961)
Ruth Younger
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
(1970)
Self (archive footage)
The Tall Target
(1951)
Rachel
The Incident
(1967)
Joan Robinson
Full Filmography
Acting
That Man of Mine
(1946)
Joan
Easy to Get
(1947)
Drugstore Girl
The Jackie Robinson Story
(1950)
Rae Robinson
No Way Out
(1950)
Connie Brooks (uncredited)
The Tall Target
(1951)
Rachel
Go Man Go
(1954)
Irma Jackson
Edge of the City
(1957)
Lucy Tyler
St. Louis Blues
(1958)
Elizabeth
Virgin Island
(1959)
Ruth
Take a Giant Step
(1959)
Christine
A Raisin in the Sun
(1961)
Ruth Younger
Gone Are the Days!
(1963)
Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
The Balcony
(1963)
Thief
Neighbours
(1966)
Vicky Kingsbury
The Incident
(1967)
Joan Robinson
Uptight
(1968)
Laurie
Deadlock
(1969)
Lucinda
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
(1970)
Self (archive footage)
The Sheriff
(1971)
Sue Ann Lucas
On Merit
(1972)
Narrator (voice)
Buck and the Preacher
(1972)
Ruth
To Be Young, Gifted and Black
(1972)
Lorraine Hansberry and other assorted characters
Black Girl
(1972)
Netta's mother
Wedding Band
(1974)
Julia Augustine
It's Good to Be Alive
(1974)
Ruth Campanella
Countdown at Kusini
(1976)
Leah Matanzima
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
(1979)
Grandmother Baxter
The Torture of Mothers: The Case of the Harlem Six
(1980)
All God's Children
(1980)
Irene Whitfield
Long Day's Journey Into Night
(1982)
Mary Tyrone
Cat People
(1982)
Female
Go Tell It on the Mountain
(1985)
Mrs. Grimes
Making 'Do the Right Thing'
(1989)
Self
Do the Right Thing
(1989)
Mother Sister
Decoration Day
(1990)
Rowena
The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson
(1990)
Jackie's Mother
Love at Large
(1990)
Corrine Dart
Zora is My Name!
(1990)
Zora Neale Hurston
Jazztime Tale
(1991)
Narrator (voice)
Jungle Fever
(1991)
Lucinda Purify
Color Adjustment
(1992)
Narrator
Cop and ½
(1993)
Rachel
After Goodbye
(1993)
Narrator
The Ernest Green Story
(1993)
Lydia Wilson
Whitewash
(1994)
Grandmother (voice)
The Stand
(1994)
Mother Abagail Freemantle
Tuesday Morning Ride
(1995)
Jennie
Just Cause
(1995)
Evangeline Ferguson
Mr. and Mrs. Loving
(1996)
Sophia
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
(1996)
Indigo
A Simple Wish
(1997)
Hortence
Sports on the Silver Screen
(1997)
Self (archive footage)
The Wall
(1998)
Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge")
A Time To Dance: The Life and Work of Norma Canner
(1998)
Narrator
Passing Glory
(1999)
Mommit Porter
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
(1999)
Self
The Unfinished Journey
(1999)
Narrator (voice)
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years
(1999)
Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany
Baby Geniuses
(1999)
Margo
A Storm in Summer
(2000)
Grandmother
Finding Buck McHenry
(2000)
Mrs. Henry
Taking Back Our Town
(2001)
Emelda West
Feast of All Saints
(2001)
Elsie Claviere
Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun'
(2002)
Self
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
(2003)
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
(2004)
(archive footage)
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks
(2004)
Self
Their Eyes Were Watching God
(2005)
Nanny
Discovering William Greaves
(2006)
Self
No. 2
(2006)
Nanna Maria
In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema
(2007)
Herself
Steam
(2007)
Doris
American Gangster
(2007)
Mama Lucas
Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson
(2007)
Self
All About Us
(2007)
Ms. Ella
A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School
(2009)
Narrator (voice)
America
(2009)
Mrs. Harper
The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll
(2011)
Miss Candy
Video Girl
(2011)
Valerie
Politics of Love
(2011)
A Thousand Words
(2012)
Annie McCall
Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal
(2013)
Self
Betty and Coretta
(2013)
Narrator
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
(2014)
Self
Poitier's Walter Lee
(2018)
Self (archive footage)
Writing
Sound