
Ossie Davis
Biography
Raiford 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.
Gallery



Known For
Acting History
2022
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues as Self (archive footage)
2006Folk Britannia as Self (archival footage)
2005The Peace! as Self
2005Deacons for Defense as Reverend 'Rev' Gregory
2005The History Makers: Success as Self
2005Unstoppable as Self
2005By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X' as Self
2004She Hate Me as Judge Buchanan
2004Proud as Lorenzo DuFau
2004Baadasssss! as Granddad
2004TV Revolution
2004Beah: A Black Woman Speaks as Self
2004The L Word as Melvin Porter
2003The Evolution of an American Filmmaker as Self
2003The Tuskegee Airmen: They Fought Two Wars as Narrator
2003Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property as Himself
2003Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
2002Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun' as Self
2002Bubba Ho-tep as John F. "Jack" Kennedy
2002Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years as Narrator
2001Feast of All Saints as Jean-Jacques
2001Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore as Narrator
2001The Legend of the Candy Cane as Julius (voice)
2000Here's to Life! as Duncan Cox
2000Dinosaur as Yar (voice)
2000Finding Buck McHenry as Buck McHenry
1999The Unfinished Journey as Narrator (voice)
1999Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve as Caretaker
1999The Soul Collector as Mordecai
1999Third Watch as Mr. Parker
1999The Secret Path as Too Tall
1999Paul Robeson: Here I Stand as Self
1999A Vow to Cherish as Alexander Billman
1998Christianity: The First 1000 Years as Himself - Narrator
1998Doctor Dolittle as Archer Dolittle
1998Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood as Self
1998Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist as Self
199712 Angry Men as Juror 2
19974 Little Girls as Self - Actor and Playwright
1997Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers as Narrator
1997Miss Evers' Boys as Mr. Evers
1997Thomas Jefferson as Narrator (voice)
1997Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough as Self
1996I'm Not Rappaport as Midge Carter
1996Get on the Bus as Jeremiah
1996Promised Land
1996Promised Land as Erasmus Jones
1996The West as Self
1996The West as Self / John R. Gills (voice)
1995JAG as Terrence Minnerly
1995The Client as Judge Harry Roosevelt
1995The Android Affair as Dr. Winston
1995Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder as Uncle Phil
1994Touched by an Angel as Gabriel
1994Touched by an Angel as Erasmus Jones
1994Baseball as Various (voice)
1994Baseball as (voice)
1994The Client as Harry Roosevelt
1994Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice as Uncle Phil
1994The Stand as Judge Richard Farris
1994The Stand as Judge Richard Farris (credit only)
1994Malcolm X: Make It Plain as Self
1994Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World as Narrator
1993Grumpy Old Men as Chuck
1993Cop & ½ as Detective in Squad Room
1993Goin' Back to T-Town as Narrator
1993Alex Haley's Queen as Parson Dick
1993The Ernest Green Story as Grandfather
1992Lincoln as Frederick Douglas (voice)
1992Malcolm X as Eulogy Performer (voice)
1992The Real Malcolm X
1992Gladiator as Noah
1991Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker as Self
1991Jungle Fever as Reverend Purify
1990Evening Shade as Ponder Blue
1990Joe Versus the Volcano as Marshall
1990The Red Shoes
1989Making 'Do the Right Thing' as Self
1989Do the Right Thing as Da Mayor
1989B.L. Stryker as Oz Jackson
1988American Experience as Self - Harlem Resident
1988School Daze as Coach Odom
1986American Masters as Self
1986Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories as Anansi the Spider (Sleepytime Songs and Stories) (voice)
1985Avenging Angel as Capt. Harry Moradian
1985Tyler Texas Black Film Collection as Himself
1984Harry & Son as Raymond
1984Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood as Narrator
1984The House of God as Dr. Sanders
1983Reading Rainbow as Self - Narrator (voice)
1981Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige as Chuffy Russell
1981Death of a Prophet
1980All God's Children as Blaine Whitfield
1979Freedom Road as Narrator
1979Hot Stuff as Captain John Geiberger
1979Roots: The Next Generations as 'Dad' Jones
1979Freedom Man as Benjamin Banneker
1978The Kennedy Center Honors as Self
1978King as Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.
1977Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid as Dr. Fredericks
1976The Tenth Level as Reed
1976Countdown at Kusini as Ernest Motapo
1975Let's Do It Again as Elder Johnson
1975Black Shadows on a Silver Screen as Narrator
1973Wattstax as Self (uncredited)
1972Malcolm X as Eulogy (voice)
1971The Sheriff as James Lucas
1970Kongi's Harvest as Narrator
1969Night Gallery as Osmond Portifoy
1969Slaves as Luke
1969Sam Whiskey as Jed Hooker
1969Teacher, Teacher as Charles Carter
1969The Fall
1968Hawaii Five-O as Ramon Borelle
1968The Name of the Game as Kubani
1968The Scalphunters as Joseph Lee
1968Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class as Narrator
1967The Outsider as Lt. Wagner
1967Black Liberation as Narrator
1966A Man Called Adam as Nelson Davis
1965Run for Your Life as Frankie Morton
1965Run for Your Life as Sgt. Dave Corbett
1965Run for Your Life as Dave Corbett
1965The Sun... the Sand... the Hill as Jason King (archive footage)
1965The Sun... the Sand... the Hill as Jason King (archival footage)
1965The Hill as Jacko King
196412 O'Clock High as Major Glenn Luke
1964Shock Treatment as Capshaw
1963The Cardinal as Father Gillis
1963The Great Adventure as John Ross
1963The Fugitive as Lt. Johnny Gaines
1963Gone Are the Days! as Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson
1962Hands of Inge as Narrator (voice)
1961The Defenders as Nixie
1961The Defenders as Officer Bond
1961The Defenders as District Attorney
1961The Defenders as Assistant District Attorney
1961The Defenders as District Attorney Daniel Jackson
1960John Brown's Raid as Dangerfield Newby
1959Bonanza as Sam Davis
1956Tony Awards as Self - Presenter
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame as Charles Carter
1951Fourteen Hours as Cab Driver (uncredited)
1950No Way Out as John Brooks (uncredited)
1947Kraft Television Theatre as The Emperor Jones
—Haiti: Killing the Dream








