Editing Ruby Dee (section)

=== 1940–1959: Early acting roles ===
[[Image:Ruby Dee.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Dee by [[Carl Van Vechten]], September 25, 1962]]
Dee joined the [[American Negro Theatre]] as an apprentice, working with [[Sidney Poitier]], [[Harry Belafonte]], and [[Hilda Simms]].<ref name=wapo/> She made her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut portraying a Native in the play South Pacific<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/south-pacific-1374 | title=South Pacific – Broadway Play – Original &#124; IBDB }}</ref> (1943). She played the title role in the [[Eugene O'Neill]] play ''[[Anna Lucasta (play)|Anna Lucasta]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/remembering-ruby-dee-anna-lucasta-37648/|title=Remembering Ruby Dee in ''Anna Lucasta'' |last=Warfield|first=Polly|website=Backstage.com|date=March 7, 2001|access-date=February 16, 2019}}</ref> She met her future husband [[Ossie Davis]] in the post-[[World War II]] play ''[[Jeb (play)|Jeb]]'' (1946). That same year she was in her first onscreen role in the musical ''[[That Man of Mine]]'' (1946). The following year she acted in the crime film ''[[The Fight Never Ends]]'' (1947).

She received national recognition for her portrayal of [[Rachel Robinson]] in the sports drama film ''[[The Jackie Robinson Story]]'' (1950).<ref name=cnn_obit/> [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised Dee's performance describing her as "the well restrained sweetheart".<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1950/05/17/archives/the-screen-in-review-jackie-robinson-story-with-baseball-star.html|title= THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'Jackie Robinson Story,' With Baseball Star Playing Himself, Is Shown of Astor Theatre|work= The New York Times|date= May 17, 1950|accessdate= January 27, 2024|last1= Crowther|first1= Bosley}}</ref> Also in 1950 she had an uncredited role in film noir ''[[No Way Out (1950 film)|No Way Out]]'' directed by [[Joseph L. Mankiewicz]]. She continued acting in films such as the historical crime film ''[[The Tall Target]]'' (1951), the sports film ''[[Go Man Go (film)|Go Man Go]]'' (1954), the music film ''[[St. Louis Blues (1958 film)|St. Louis Blues]]'' (1958), and the British drama ''[[Virgin Island (film)|Virgin Island]]'' (1958).  During this time she took a role in the film noir ''[[Edge of the City]]'' (1957) starring alongside [[John Cassavetes]] and [[Sidney Poitier]].