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Ruby Dee (I) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 29 | slideshow | add photos) Videos (see all 26)
Do the Right Thing (1989) -- After Mister Mayor (Ossie Davis) risks his life to save a young boy, Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) compliments him.
"Iconoclasts" (2005): Season 3: Episode 2 -- Clip from the Alicia Keys + Ruby Dee episode of Iconoclasts, Season 3.
Do the Right Thing (1989) -- On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
Do the Right Thing (1989) -- While trying to break up the fight that broke out in Sal's after the hottest day of the year, a policeman chokes Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) to death
Season IV: Factions at War (2008) -- Award Season '08. Lisa Rinna and Joey Fatone interview Ruby Dee at Hollywood's biggest Red Carpet event.

Overview

Contact:
View agent contact info on IMDbPro.
Trivia:
Attended Hunter College. more
STARmeter: ?
Up 26% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 12 wins & 14 nominations more

Filmography

Jump to filmography as: Actress, Soundtrack, Writer, Producer, Self, Archive Footage
Actress:
  1. The Middle of Nowhere (2009) (announced) .... Cornelia
  2. Video Girl (2010) (post-production)
  3. Red & Blue Marbles (2009) (post-production) .... Professor Wright

  4. Dream Street (2010)

  5. The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2009) .... Miss Candy the bartender
  6. America (2009) (TV) .... Mrs. Harper
  7. Steam (2007) .... Doris
  8. American Gangster (2007) .... Mama Lucas
  9. All About Us (2007) .... Ms. Ella
  10. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" .... Mary Wilson (1 episode, 2007)
    ... aka CSI: Las Vegas (South Africa: English title: informal alternative title) (USA: syndication title)
    ... aka C.S.I. (USA: short title)
    ... aka CSI: Weekends (USA: promotional title)
    ... aka Les experts (Canada: French title)
        - Empty Eyes (2007) TV episode .... Mary Wilson
  11. The Way Back Home (2006) .... Maude
  12. No. 2 (2006) .... Nanna Maria
  13. Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005) (TV) .... Nanny
    ... aka Oprah Winfrey Presents Their Eyes Were Watching God (Australia: DVD box title)
  14. Baby of the Family (2002)
  15. Taking Back Our Town (2001) (TV) .... Emelda West
  16. Feast of All Saints (2001) (TV) .... Elsie Claviere
    ... aka Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints (USA: complete title)
  17. Finding Buck McHenry (2000) (TV) .... Mrs. Henry
  18. A Storm in Summer (2000) (TV) .... Grandmother

  19. "Touched by an Angel" .... LaBelle (1 episode, 1999)
        - The Christmas Gift (1999) TV episode .... LaBelle
  20. Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999) (TV) .... Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany
    ... aka Having Our Say (USA: short title)
  21. Baby Geniuses (1999) .... Margo
  22. Passing Glory (1999) (TV) .... Mommit Porter
  23. "Cosby" .... Mattie (1 episode, 1999)
        - Ol' Betsy (1999) TV episode .... Mattie
  24. "Little Bill" (1999) TV series .... Alice the Great (unknown episodes)
  25. "Promised Land" .... Alicia (1 episode, 1998)
    ... aka Home of the Brave
        - Baptism of Fire (1998) TV episode .... Alicia
  26. The Wall (1998) (TV) .... Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge")
  27. A Simple Wish (1997) .... Hortense
    ... aka The Fairy Godmother (Canada: English title)
  28. Stories from the Edge (1996) (TV) .... (segment "Tuesday Morning Ride")
  29. Captive Heart: The James Mink Story (1996) (TV) .... Indigo
  30. Mr. and Mrs. Loving (1996) (TV) .... Sophia
  31. "American Masters" .... Narrator (1 episode, 1995)
        - Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul (1995) TV episode (voice) .... Narrator
  32. Just Cause (1995) .... Evangeline
  33. Tuesday Morning Ride (1995)
  34. Whitewash (1994) (TV) (voice) .... Grandmother
  35. "The Stand" .... Mother Abigail Freemantle (4 episodes, 1994)
    ... aka Stephen King's The Stand
        - The Stand (1994) TV episode .... Mother Abigail Freemantle
        - The Betrayal (1994) TV episode .... Mother Abigail Freemantle
        - The Dreams (1994) TV episode .... Mother Abigail Freemantle
        - The Plague (1994) TV episode .... Mother Abigail Freemantle
  36. Cop and ½ (1993) .... Rachel
    ... aka Cop and a Half
  37. "Evening Shade" .... Aurelia Danforth (1 episode, 1993)
        - They Can't Take That Away From (1993) TV episode .... Aurelia Danforth
  38. The Ernest Green Story (1993) (TV) .... Mrs. Lydia Wilson
  39. "Middle Ages" (1992) TV series .... Estelle Williams (unknown episodes)
  40. Jazztime Tale (1991) (TV) (voice) .... Narrator
  41. Jungle Fever (1991) .... Lucinda Purify
  42. Decoration Day (1990) (TV) .... Rowena, Finch's Housekeeper
  43. "The Golden Girls" .... Viola Watkins (1 episode, 1990)
        - Wham, Bam, Thank You, Mammy (1990) TV episode .... Viola Watkins
  44. The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990) (TV) .... Jackie's mother
  45. "China Beach" .... Ruby (1 episode, 1990)
        - Skylark (1990) TV episode .... Ruby
  46. Love at Large (1990) .... Corrine Dart

  47. Do the Right Thing (1989) .... Mother Sister
  48. Lincoln (1988) (TV) .... Elizabeth Keckley
    ... aka Gore Vidal's Lincoln
  49. Windmills of the Gods (1988) (TV) .... Dorothy - Secretary to Mary Ashley
    ... aka Sidney Sheldon's Windmills of the Gods
  50. "Spenser: For Hire" .... Eleanor Simpson (1 episode, 1987)
        - Personal Demons (1987) TV episode .... Eleanor Simpson
  51. "The Atlanta Child Murders" (1985) TV mini-series .... Faye Williams
  52. Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985) (TV) .... Mrs. Grimes
  53. Long Day's Journey Into Night (1982) (TV) .... Mary Tyrone
  54. Cat People (1982) .... Female
  55. "American Playhouse" .... Zora Neal Hurston (1 episode)
        - Zora Is My Name! (????) TV episode .... Zora Neal Hurston
  56. "Ossie and Ruby!" (1980) TV series .... Co-host (1980-81) (unknown episodes)
  57. All God's Children (1980) (TV) .... Irene Whitfield
  58. The Torture of Mothers (1980)

  59. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979) (TV) .... Grandmother Baxter
  60. "Roots: The Next Generations" (1979) TV mini-series .... Queen Haley
  61. Countdown at Kusini (1976) .... Leah Matanzima
    ... aka Cool Red (USA)
  62. "Police Woman" .... Cora Sanders (1 episode, 1975)
        - Target Black (1975) TV episode .... Cora Sanders
  63. It's Good to Be Alive (1974) (TV) .... Ruth Campanella
  64. "Tenafly" .... Jan Lennox (1 episode, 1973)
        - The Window That Wasn't (1973) TV episode .... Jan Lennox
  65. Chelsea D.H.O. (1973) (TV) .... Dr. Bianca Pearson
  66. "The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People" (1 episode)
        - Today Is Ours (????) TV episode
  67. Black Girl (1972) .... Netta's mother
  68. Buck and the Preacher (1972) .... Ruth
  69. To Be Young, Gifted, and Black (1972) (TV)
  70. The Sheriff (1971) (TV) .... Sue-Anne Lucas

  71. Deadlock (1969) (TV) .... Lucinda
  72. "Peyton Place" (1964) TV series .... Alma Miles (unknown episodes, 1968-1969)
  73. Up Tight! (1968) .... Laurie
  74. "The Guiding Light" (1952) TV series .... Martha Frazier (unknown episodes, 1967)
    ... aka Guiding Light (USA: new title)
  75. The Incident (1967) .... Joan Robinson
  76. "Armchair Theatre" .... Vicky Kingsbury (1 episode, 1966)
        - Neighbours (1966) TV episode .... Vicky Kingsbury
  77. "The Defenders" .... Catherine Collins (1 episode, 1965)
        - The Sworn Twelve (1965) TV episode .... Catherine Collins
  78. "East Side/West Side" .... Marilyn Marsden (1 episode, 1963)
        - No Hiding Place (1963) TV episode .... Marilyn Marsden
  79. "The Great Adventure" .... Harriet Tubman (1 episode, 1963)
        - Go Down, Moses (1963) TV episode .... Harriet Tubman
  80. "The Fugitive" .... Laura (1 episode, 1963)
        - Decision in the Ring (1963) TV episode .... Laura
  81. Gone Are the Days! (1963) .... Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
    ... aka Purlie Victorious
    ... aka The Man from C.O.T.T.O.N. (USA: reissue title)
  82. "The Nurses" .... Jenny Bishop (1 episode, 1963)
    ... aka The Doctors and the Nurses (USA: new title)
        - Express Stop from Lenox Avenue (1963) TV episode .... Jenny Bishop
  83. The Balcony (1963) .... Thief
  84. "Alcoa Premiere" .... Irene Clayton (1 episode, 1963)
        - Impact of an Execution (1963) TV episode .... Irene Clayton
  85. Seven Times Monday (1962) (TV) .... Lila
  86. A Raisin in the Sun (1961) .... Ruth Younger
  87. "Play of the Week" .... Lila (2 episodes, 1960-1961)
        - Black Monday (1961) TV episode
        - Seven Times Monday (1960) TV episode .... Lila

  88. Take a Giant Step (1959) .... Christine the maid
  89. St. Louis Blues (1958) .... Elizabeth
  90. Virgin Island (1958) .... Ruth
    ... aka Our Virgin Island (USA)
  91. Edge of the City (1957) .... Lucy Tyler
    ... aka A Man Is Ten Feet Tall (UK)
  92. The Great American Pastime (1956) (uncredited) .... Mrs. Ashlow
  93. Go, Man, Go! (1954) .... Irma Jackson
  94. The Tall Target (1951) .... Rachel, Slave Maid
  95. "Frontiers of Faith" .... Grace Gilmore (1 episode)
        - The Bitter Cup (????) TV episode .... Grace Gilmore
  96. No Way Out (1950) (uncredited) .... Connie Brooks
  97. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) .... Rae Robinson

  98. The Fight Never Ends (1949) .... Janie
  99. What a Guy (1948)
  100. The First Year (1946) (TV)
  101. That Man of Mine (1946)
Soundtrack:
  1. "The Stand" (1994) TV mini-series (unknown episodes)
    ... aka Stephen King's The Stand
Writer:
  1. Up Tight! (1968) (writer)
Producer:
  1. Up Tight! (1968) (co-producer)
Self:
  1. Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (2010) (in production) .... Herself
  2. For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots (2010) (TV) (post-production) (voice)
  3. Drama Mamas! (2010) (post-production) .... Herself

  4. A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School (2009) (voice) .... Narrator
  5. "The Tyra Banks Show" .... Herself (1 episode, 2009)
        - Rosie O'Donnell & Ruby Dee (2009) TV episode .... Herself
  6. Let Freedom Sing: How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement (2009) .... Herself
  7. "Entertainment Tonight" .... Herself (2 episodes, 2008)
    ... aka E.T. (USA: informal title)
    ... aka ET Weekend (Australia: weekend title)
    ... aka Entertainment This Week (weekend title)
    ... aka This Week in Entertainment (USA: weekend title)
        - Episode dated 6 October 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
        - Episode dated 5 February 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
  8. Meet Mary Pleasant (2008) (TV) .... Herself
  9. La noche de los Oscar (2008) (TV) .... Herself
  10. An Evening at the Academy Awards (2008) (TV) .... Herself
  11. The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV) .... Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role
  12. "Tavis Smiley" .... Herself (1 episode, 2008)
        - Episode dated 21 February 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
  13. 39th NAACP Image Awards (2008) (TV) .... Herself
  14. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" .... Herself (1 episode, 2008)
    ... aka Oprah (USA: short title)
        - And the Nominees Are... (2008) TV episode .... Herself
  15. "Iconoclasts" (1 episode, 2007)
        - Alicia Keys and Ruby Dee (2007) TV episode
  16. "HBO First Look" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
        - The Making of 'American Gangster' (2007) TV episode .... Herself
  17. In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema (2007) (V) .... Herself
  18. The 2006 Black Movie Awards (2006) (TV) .... Herself
  19. Legends Ball (2006) (TV) .... Herself
  20. Lockdown, USA (2006) .... Narrator
  21. An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Stevie Wonder (2006) (TV) .... Herself
  22. The Black Movie Awards (2005) (TV) .... Herself
  23. "Character Studies" .... Herself (2 episodes, 2005)
        - Ruth (2005) TV episode .... Herself
        - Amanda (2005) TV episode .... Herself
  24. The History Makers (2005) (V) .... Herself
  25. The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (2004) (TV) .... Herself - Honoree
  26. "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry" .... Herself (1 episode, 2004)
    ... aka Def Poetry (USA: short title)
    ... aka Def Poetry Jam (USA: promotional title)
        - Episode #4.6 (2004) TV episode .... Herself
  27. Beah: A Black Woman Speaks (2003) .... Herself
  28. 2003 Trumpet Awards (2003) (TV) .... Herself
  29. Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003) .... Reader
  30. Hughes' Dream Harlem (2002) (TV) .... Herself
  31. Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television (2002) (TV) .... Herself
  32. "Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years" (2001) TV mini-series .... Narrator (unknown episodes)
  33. 7th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2001) (TV) .... Herself
  34. "Intimate Portrait" .... Herself (1 episode, 2001)
        - Rosa Parks (2001) TV episode .... Herself
  35. Freedom Never Dies: The Legacy of Harry T. Moore (2001) (TV) .... Narrator

  36. The Unfinished Journey (1999) (voice) .... Narration
  37. "The Directors" .... Herself (1 episode)
        - The Films of Spike Lee (????) TV episode .... Herself
  38. NY TV: By the People Who Made It - Part I & II (1998) (TV) .... Herself
  39. Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood (1998) (TV) .... Herself
  40. Porgy and Bess: An American Voice (1998) (TV) .... Herself/Narrator
  41. A Time to Dance: The Life and Work of Norma Canner (1998) (voice) .... Narrator
  42. Sports on the Silver Screen (1997) (TV) (uncredited) .... Herself
  43. The 48th Annual Tony Awards (1994) (TV) .... Herself - Presenter
  44. The Stand: The Making of... (1994) (TV) .... Herself
  45. Homeward Bound (1994) (TV) .... Herself
  46. "Reading Rainbow" .... Herself (2 episodes, 1984-1992)
        - Tar Beach (1992) TV episode (voice) .... Herself
        - Simon's Book (1984) TV episode (voice) .... Herself
  47. Color Adjustment (1992) .... Narrator
    ... aka Color Adjustment: Blacks in Prime Time (USA: festival title)
  48. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday (1990) (TV) .... Herself
  49. 22nd NAACP Image Awards (1990) (TV) .... Herself

  50. Making 'Do the Right Thing' (1989) (TV) .... Herself
  51. "Ebony/Jet Showcase" .... Herself (2 episodes, 1988)
        - Episode dated 9 October 1988 (1988) TV episode .... Herself
        - Episode dated 23 September 1988 (1988) TV episode .... Herself
  52. "A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill Moyers" .... Herself (2 episodes, 1984)
        - Episode dated 25 April 1984 (1984) TV episode .... Herself
        - Episode dated 18 April 1984 (1984) TV episode .... Herself
  53. "Great Performances" .... Herself (1 episode, 1982)
        - Great Performances' 10th Anniversary Celebration (1982) TV episode .... Herself

  54. "Tony Brown's Journal" .... Herself (1 episode, 1978)
        - Man and Woman (1978) TV episode .... Herself
  55. Lorraine Hansberry: The Black Experience in the Creation of Drama (1975)
  56. Wattstax (1973) (uncredited) .... Herself
  57. "He Said, She Said" .... Herself (1 episode, 1970)
        - Episode dated 13 June 1970 (1970) TV episode .... Herself
  58. King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970) .... Herself

  59. "The Merv Griffin Show" .... Herself (1 episode, 1968)
        - Episode dated 3 January 1968 (1968) TV episode .... Herself
  60. "I've Got a Secret" .... Guest panelist (1 episode, 1963)
        - Episode dated 30 December 1963 (1963) TV episode .... Guest panelist
  61. "The DuPont Show of the Week" .... Herself (1 episode, 1962)
        - The Beauty of a Woman (1962) TV episode .... Herself
Archive Footage:
  1. "Biography"
        - Marlon Brando: The Agony of Genius (2005) TV episode .... Herself
  2. TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004) (V)
  3. America at the Movies (1976) .... Ruth Younger


Additional Details

Other Works:
Book of poetry: "Glowchild". more
Publicity Listings:
2 Print Biographies | 1 Article more

Message Boards

Discuss this person with other users on IMDb message board for Ruby Dee (I)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Oscar nod is a joke otempko
2 beautiful women at this age jotamawes
She won the SAG?????? Jacksterboy
Any Oscar Chances? okrim37
To all the people who are complaining about Ruby Dee's Oscar nod... fistjedi
She's even older than I am, but I still think she's hot! VeryOldFart
more
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