Ossie Davis
Acting
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 until his death.
Born: December 18, 1917
Place of Birth: Cogdell, Georgia, USA
Known For
Malcolm X: Make It Plain
Narrated by actress Alfre Woodard, this trenchant, eye-opening doc traces the radical civil rights leader’s life from his tumultuous childhood, through his rise in the ranks of the Nation of Islam, to his 1965 assassination.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Enchanting holiday tale of a young runaway who has broken into an old movie palace, looking for shelter on a snow-filled Christmas Eve. Closed for decades, the building is filled with countless discarded artifacts from the past. The girl is discovered by the old caretaker, who uses the ghosts and spirits that inhabit this long-abandoned world to turn her life around.
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Long-running anthology program sponsored by Hallmark Cards. Beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2019, the series received 80 Emmy Awards, 24 Christopher Awards, 11 Peabody Awards, 9 Golden Globes, and 4 Humanitas Prizes. Early seasons were a weekly live drama, eventually transitioning to videotaped and then filmed productions broadcast as occasional specials.
The West
The West, sometimes marketed as Ken Burns Presents: The West, is a documentary film about the American Old West. It was directed by Stephen Ives and the executive producer was Ken Burns. The film originally aired on PBS in September 1996.
The West
The West, sometimes marketed as Ken Burns Presents: The West, is a documentary film about the American Old West. It was directed by Stephen Ives and the executive producer was Ken Burns. The film originally aired on PBS in September 1996.
Reading Rainbow
Journey to exciting places and build a lasting connection with your favorite books. Each episode centers on a theme from a book, or other children's literature, which is explored through a number of segments or stories.
Thomas Jefferson
The complex life of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote that "all men are created equal" yet owned slaves, is recounted by master filmmaker Ken Burns in this probing documentary. Covering Jefferson's diplomatic work in France, his two presidential terms, his retirement at Monticello and more.
Third Watch
The exploits of a group of men and women who serve the City of New York as police officers, firemen, and paramedics, all working the same fictional 55th precinct during the 3pm to 11pm shift - the 'Third Watch'.
Do the Right Thing
Salvatore "Sal" Fragione is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
A look at the confluence of the Red Scare, McCarthyism, and blacklists with the post-war activism by African Americans seeking more and better roles on radio, television, and stage. It begins in Harlem, measures the impact of Paul Robeson and the campaign to bring him down, looks at the role of HUAC, J. Edgar Hoover and of journalists such as Ed Sullivan, and ends with a tribute to Canada Lee. Throughout are interviews with men and women who were there, including Dick Campbell of the Rose McLendon Players and Fredrick O'Neal of the American Negro Theatre. In the 1940s and 1950s, anti-Communism was one more tool to maintain Jim Crow and to keep down African-Americans.
Filmography
as Self (archive footage)
as Reverend 'Rev' Gregory
as Self
as Judge Buchanan
as Lorenzo DuFau
as Granddad
as Self
as Melvin Porter
as Himself
as John F. "Jack" Kennedy
as Narrator
as Jean-Jacques
as Julius (voice)
as Duncan Cox
as Yar (voice)
as Buck McHenry
as Narrator (voice)
as Mordecai
as Mr. Parker
as Too Tall
as Self
as Alexander Billman
as Archer Dolittle
as Juror 2
as Self - Actor and Playwright
as Mr. Evers
as Narrator (voice)
as Midge Carter
as Jeremiah
as Erasmus Jones
as Self
as Self / John R. Gills (voice)
as Terrence Minnerly
as Judge Harry Roosevelt
as Dr. Winston
as Uncle Phil
as Gabriel
as Erasmus Jones
as Various (voice)
as (voice)
as Harry Roosevelt
as Uncle Phil
as Judge Richard Farris
as Judge Richard Farris (credit only)
as Self
as Chuck
as Detective in Squad Room
as Narrator
as Parson Dick
as Grandfather
as Eulogy Performer (voice)
as Noah
as Reverend Purify
as Ponder Blue
as Marshall
as Self
as Da Mayor
as Oz Jackson
as Self - Harlem Resident
as Coach Odom
as Self
as Anansi the Spider (Sleepytime Songs and Stories) (voice)
as Capt. Harry Moradian
as Himself
as Raymond
as Dr. Sanders
as Self - Narrator (voice)
as Chuffy Russell
as Blaine Whitfield
as Narrator
as Captain John Geiberger
as 'Dad' Jones
as Self
as Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.
as Dr. Fredericks
as Reed
as Ernest Motapo
as Elder Johnson
as Narrator
as Self (uncredited)
as Eulogy (voice)
as James Lucas
as Narrator
as Osmond Portifoy
as Luke
as Jed Hooker
as Charles Carter
as Ramon Borelle
as Kubani
as Joseph Lee
as Lt. Wagner
as Narrator
as Nelson Davis
as Frankie Morton
as Dave Corbett
as Sgt. Dave Corbett
as Jacko King
as Major Glenn Luke
as Capshaw
as Father Gillis
as John Ross
as Lt. Johnny Gaines
as Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson
as Narrator (voice)
as Nixie
as Officer Bond
as District Attorney
as Assistant District Attorney
as District Attorney Daniel Jackson
as Dangerfield Newby
as Sam Davis
as Charles Carter
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
as John Brooks (uncredited)
as The Emperor Jones