Guide Note

Ruby Dee is an American Actress, who grew up in Harlem, New York, and was first noticed for her 1950 role in The Jackie Robinson Story. She has been nominated for an Academy Award for her most recent role, as Mama Lucas in American Gangster.

Fast Facts

1. AKA: Ruby Ann Wallace
2. Born: October 27, 1924
3. Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
4. Alma Mater: Hunter College
5. Married: Frank Dee Brown (1941-1945)
6. Married: Ossie Davis (1948-2005)
7. Three children with Davis: Guy Davis, Nora Day Davis, Hasna Muhammad
8. Civil rights activist
9. Friends with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X
10. Breast Cancer survivor
11. Nominated for 8 Emmy's, winning for Decoration Day (1990) and an episode of China Beach
12. Tied with Jimmy Carter for a Grammy in 2007

Mini Bio

Ruby Ann Wallace was born in Cleveland on October 27, 1924. She grew up in Harlem after her mother left the family. She attended hunter College, where she earned degrees in French and Spanish, and was a pledged member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Following her graduation in 1945 she went on to a noteworthy career on Broadway, which included a starring role opposite Sydney Poitier in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. She made her film debut in the 1950 biopic The Jackie Robinson Story, and reprised her role as "Ruth Younger" in the 1961 film version of the play a Raisen in the Sun. Most recently, Dee was nominated for her role opposite Denzel Washington in the fill American Gangster.