Editing Ruby Dee (section)

=== 1959–1979: Breakthrough and acclaim ===
[[File:A Raisin in the Sun 1959 2.JPG|thumb|right|[[Louis Gossett Jr.]], Dee and [[Sidney Poitier]] in ''[[A Raisin in the Sun]]'' (1959)]]
In 1959 she gained prominence for originating the role of Ruth Younger in the [[Lorraine Hansberry]]'s play ''[[A Raisin in the Sun]]'' which premiered on [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]]. She acted alongside [[Sidney Poitier]] and [[Louis Gossett Jr.]] The play was the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway. She reprised the role in the [[A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film)|1961 film of the same name]]. She returned to Broadway in the [[Ossie Davis]] satirical farce ''[[Purlie Victorious]]'' (1961) portraying Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins. Howard Taubman of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote of Dee's performance, "[she] has been treated generously. As Lutiebell she has enough humor and charm to make one envy Purlie Victorious that she is eager disciple".<ref>{{cite news|url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/09/29/97249462.html?pageNumber=29|title= Theatre: 'Purlie Victorious' Romps In|work= The New York Times|access-date= January 27, 2024}}</ref> She acted opposite her husband Ossie Davis and [[Alan Alda]] in his acting debut. They reprised their roles of the 1963 film entitled, ''[[Gone Are the Days!]]'' which was produced by [[Brock Peters]] and directed by [[Nicholas Webster]].

Her career in acting crossed all major forms of media over a span of eight decades, including the films ''[[A Raisin in the Sun]]'', in which she recreated her stage role as a suffering housewife in the projects, and ''[[Edge of the City]]''. She played both roles opposite Poitier.<ref name=wapo/> She received the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie]] for her role on ''[[The Nurses (TV series)|The Doctors and the Nurses]]'' (1964). In 1965, Dee performed in lead roles at the [[American Shakespeare Festival]] as Kate in ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'' and Cordelia in ''[[King Lear]]'', becoming the first black actress to portray a lead role in the festival. In 1963 she acted in the film ''[[The Balcony (film)|The Balcony]]'' with [[Shelley Winters]], [[Peter Falk]], [[Lee Grant]], and [[Leonard Nimoy]]. She then acted in the film noir ''[[The Incident (1967 film)|The Incident]]'' (1967), the drama film ''[[Uptight (film)|Uptight]]'' (1968), and the documentary ''[[King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis]]'' (1970).

[[File:King A Filmed Record publicity photo (Landau, Dee, Newman, Lumet - retouch).jpg|thumb|left| Left to right: [[Ely Landau]], Ruby Dee, [[Paul Newman]], and [[Sidney Lumet]] at the ''King: A Filmed Record'' (1970)]]
In 1969, Dee appeared in 20 episodes of ''[[Peyton Place (TV series)|Peyton Place]]''.<ref name=cnn_obit/> She acted in Ossie Davis' films ''[[Black Girl (1972 film)|Black Girl]]'' (1972) and ''[[Countdown at Kusini]]'' (1976) and the Western film ''[[Buck and the Preacher]]'' with [[Sidney Poitier]] and [[Harry Belafonte]]. She appeared as Cora Sanders, a Marxist college professor, in season 1, episode 14 of ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]'', entitled "Target Black" which aired on Friday night, January 3, 1975. The character of Cora Sanders was obviously, but loosely, influenced by the real-life [[Angela Davis]]. She appeared in one episode of ''[[The Golden Girls]]''' sixth season. She played Queen Haley in the miniseries ''[[Roots: The Next Generations]]'' (1979) for which she received a nomination for the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie]].<ref name=cnn_obit/> She acted in the CBS television film ''[[I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (film)|I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings]]'' (1979) based on the [[Maya Angelou]] [[I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings|autobiography of the same name]].