Ossie Davis (1917-2005) was an American actor, playwright, director, and civil rights activist whose career stretched from Harlem theater in the late 1930s to Hollywood films in the early 2000s. Together with his wife Ruby Dee, he formed one of the most celebrated artistic and activist partnerships in American cultural history - the couple co-hosted the 1963 March on Washington, and Davis delivered the eulogy at Malcolm X's funeral. He wrote and starred in Purlie Victorious (1961) and collaborated with Spike Lee on seven films, most famously Do the Right Thing (1989). His honors include the National Medal of Arts (1995), a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), and Kennedy Center Honors (2004).
The Broadway revival of Davis's play Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2024 and won one of them.
The television channel TCM included Ossie Davis in its Summer Under the Stars 2024 program and dedicated an entire broadcast day to him.
The audiobook With Ossie and Ruby, recorded by Davis and Ruby Dee and published posthumously, won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word in 2007.
Davis and Ruby Dee received the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2004 for their lifetime contribution to American culture through theatrical arts.
Screen Actors Guild awarded Davis and Ruby Dee the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 - the highest honor that this organization bestows.
