Ossie Davis
Born in Cogdell, Georgia, USA — Dec 18 1917• Died Feb 04 2005
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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 un…
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Ossie Davis's Credits
Browse acting and crew credits across movies and TV — filter and sort to find specific roles.
JAG
Terrence Minnerly
American Experience
Self - Harlem Resident
Bonanza
Sam Davis
Third Watch
Mr. Parker
Hawaii Five-O
Ramon Borelle
The Fugitive
Lt. Johnny Gaines
Touched by an Angel
Gabriel
The Defenders
Nixie
American Masters
Self
The L Word
Melvin Porter
The Name of the Game
Kubani
Kraft Television Theatre
The Emperor Jones
Promised Land
12 O'Clock High
Major Glenn Luke
The Stand
Judge Richard Farris
Baseball
Various (voice)
Run for Your Life
Frankie Morton
Reading Rainbow
Self - Narrator (voice)
The Great Adventure
John Ross
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self
The Client
Judge Harry Roosevelt
Evening Shade
Ponder Blue
Roots: The Next Generations
'Dad' Jones
B.L. Stryker
Oz Jackson
Dinosaur
Yar (voice)
Grumpy Old Men
Chuck
The West
Self
Malcolm X
Eulogy Performer (voice)
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Charles Carter
The Client
Harry Roosevelt
East Side/West Side
Writing
TV Revolution
Do the Right Thing
Da Mayor
Alex Haley's Queen
Parson Dick
Doctor Dolittle
Archer Dolittle
She Hate Me
Judge Buchanan
Gladiator
Noah
King
Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.
The Secret Path
Too Tall
12 Angry Men
Juror 2
Bubba Ho-tep
John F. "Jack" Kennedy
Joe Versus the Volcano
Marshall
Jungle Fever
Reverend Purify
Thomas Jefferson
Narrator (voice)
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Self
Cop & ½
Detective in Squad Room
Baadasssss!
Granddad
Get on the Bus
Jeremiah / 'Pop'
The Cardinal
Father Gillis
Fourteen Hours
Cab Driver (uncredited)
The Scalphunters
Joseph Lee
Avenging Angel
Capt. Harry Moradian
The Hill
Jacko King
Harry & Son
Raymond
Miss Evers' Boys
Mr. Evers
Feast of All Saints
Jean-Jacques
Lincoln
Frederick Douglas (voice)
Deacons for Defense
Reverend 'Rev' Gregory
The Evolution of an American Filmmaker
Self
Folk Britannia
Self (archival footage)
School Daze
Coach Odom
The Outsider
Lt. Wagner
The Unfinished Journey
Narrator (voice)
Hot Stuff
Captain John Geiberger
Night Gallery
Osmond Portifoy
Purlie
Writing
Let's Do It Again
Elder Johnson
Sam Whiskey
Jed Hooker
A Man Called Adam
Nelson Davis
No Way Out
John Brooks (uncredited)
The Real Malcolm X
The Peace!
Self
Freedom Road
Narrator
Slaves
Luke
Cotton Comes to Harlem
Directing
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
Wattstax
Self (uncredited)
Malcolm X
Eulogy (voice)
The Sheriff
James Lucas
Black Girl
Directing
Christianity: The First 1000 Years
Himself - Narrator
John Brown's Raid
Dangerfield Newby
The House of God
Dr. Sanders
Making 'Do the Right Thing'
Self
All God's Children
Blaine Whitfield
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Caretaker
I'm Not Rappaport
Midge Carter
Shock Treatment
Capshaw
The Android Affair
Dr. Winston
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Writing
The Soul Collector
Mordecai
Gone Are the Days!
Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Self (archive footage)
4 Little Girls
Self - Actor and Playwright
Death of a Prophet
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks
Self
Here's to Life!
Duncan Cox
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
Self
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
Dr. Fredericks
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
Uncle Phil
Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years
Narrator
The Tenth Level
Reed
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
Uncle Phil
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
Self
Freedom Man
Benjamin Banneker
A Vow to Cherish
Alexander Billman
Teacher, Teacher
Charles Carter
For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers
Writing
Proud
Lorenzo DuFau
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
Self
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige
Chuffy Russell
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
Narrator
Countdown at Kusini
Ernest Motapo
Finding Buck McHenry
Buck McHenry
The Sun... the Sand... the Hill
Jason King (archival footage)
Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories
Anansi the Spider (Sleepytime Songs and Stories) (voice)
Gordon's War
Directing
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
Self
The History Makers: Success
Self
Malcolm X: Make It Plain
Self
The Legend of the Candy Cane
Julius (voice)
Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood
Narrator
Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property
Himself
The Ernest Green Story
Grandfather
The Fall
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
Self
Unstoppable
Self
Black Liberation
Narrator
Goin' Back to T-Town
Narrator
Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore
Narrator
Haiti: Killing the Dream
The Red Shoes
Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun'
Self
Hands of Inge
Narrator (voice)
Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers
Narrator
Kongi's Harvest
Narrator
Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World
Narrator
The Tuskegee Airmen: They Fought Two Wars
Narrator
Tyler Texas Black Film Collection
Himself
Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class
Narrator
Now is the Time
Self
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter