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