Editing Ruby Dee (section)

{{short description|American actress (1922–2014)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Ruby Dee
| image              = Ruby Dee - 1972.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| caption            = Dee in 1972
| birth_name         = Ruby Ann Wallace
| birth_place        = [[Cleveland, Ohio]], U.S.
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1922|10|27|mf=yes}}
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2014|06|11|1922|10|27}}
| death_place        = [[New Rochelle, New York]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Ferncliff Cemetery]]
| alma_mater         = [[Hunter College]] (1945)
| occupation         = Actress
| years active       = 1940–2013
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Frankie Dee Brown|1941|1945|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Ossie Davis]]<br>|1948|2005|end=died}}
}}
| children           = 3, including [[Guy Davis (musician)|Guy Davis]]
}}

'''Ruby Dee''' (born '''Ruby Ann Wallace'''; October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress.<!-- only primary occupations, per [[MOS:ROLEBIO]] --> She was married to [[Ossie Davis]], with whom she frequently performed until his death in 2005.<ref>[https://variety.com/2014/film/news/oscar-nominated-actress-ruby-dee-dies-at-91-1201219148/ Oscar-Nominated Actress Ruby Dee Dies at 91] Carmel Dagan. Variety. June 12, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2016</ref> She received numerous accolades, including an [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Award]], a [[Grammy Award]], an [[Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress|Obie Award]], and a [[Drama Desk Award]], as well as a nomination for an [[Academy Award]]. She was honored with the [[National Medal of Arts]] in 1995, the [[Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award]] in 2000, and the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] in 2004.

Dee started her career with the [[American Negro Theatre]]. She made her [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] debut in ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]'' (1943). She met her future husband working together on the play ''[[Jeb (play)|Jeb]]'' (1946). She originated the Broadway roles of Ruth Younger in [[Lorraine Hansberry]]'s ''[[A Raisin in the Sun]]'' (1959) and reprised the role in the [[A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film)|1961 film]] and Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins in the Ossie Davis play ''[[Purlie Victorious]]'' (1961) and reprised the role in the [[Gone Are the Days!|1963 film]].

She made her film debut in ''[[That Man of Mine]]'' (1946) before landing a leading roles in films such as ''[[The Jackie Robinson Story]]'' (1950), ''[[Edge of the City]]'' (1957), ''[[Take a Giant Step]]'' (1959), and ''[[Buck and the Preacher]]'' (1972). She also acted in the Ossie Davis film ''[[Black Girl (1972 film)|Black Girl]]'' (1972), and the [[Spike Lee]] films ''[[Do the Right Thing]]'' (1989) and ''[[Jungle Fever]]'' (1991). For her performance in ''[[American Gangster (film)|American Gangster]]'' (2007), Dee was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] and won the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role|Screen Actors Guild Award for Female Actor in a Supporting Role]].

Dee received two [[Primetime Emmy Award]] nominations for her roles in ''[[The Nurses (TV series)|The Doctors and the Nurses]]'' (1964) and ''[[Decoration Day (film)|Decoration Day]]'' (1990). She was nominated for her other roles in ''[[Roots: The Next Generations]]'' (1979), ''[[Lincoln (miniseries)|Lincoln]]'' (1988), ''[[China Beach]]'' (1990), and ''[[Evening Shade]]'' (1993). She also acted in ''[[I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (film)|I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings]]'' (1979), ''[[Long Day's Journey into Night]]'' (1982), ''[[Go Tell It on the Mountain (film)|Go Tell It on the Mountain]]'' (1985), ''[[The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson]]'' (1990), and ''[[The Stand (1994 miniseries)|The Stand]]'' (1994). She voiced Alice the Great in the [[Nick Jr.]] series ''[[Little Bill]]'' from 1999 to 2004.