Legendary Actress, Activist Ruby Dee Dies at 91

12 Jun, 2014

Legendary stage and screen actress Ruby Dee, who won acclaim in theater, film and television and became a notable figure in the U.S. civil rights movement, died peacefully at home, a friend of the family said on Thursday.

The actress, who was 91 years old, died on Wednesday night in New Rochelle, New York, surrounded by her family.

“She died of natural causes,” said Arminda Thomas, who works for Dee’s family. “She was blessed with old age.”

The petite actress won an Oscar nomination in 2008 for her role in “American Gangster.” After being nominated for six Emmys, she nabbed the award in 1991 for her role in the TV movie “Decoration Day.”

Dee was married to actor Ossie Davis for 56 years until his death in 2005. The couple, who had three children, formed a productive and enduring artistic and activist partnership. They performed together in plays and films and appeared together at some of the seminal events of the turbulent civil rights era.

The actress broke free from the racially stereotypical roles often given to black actresses when she began her career in the 1940s and continued to act into her 90s.

“Ruby Dee inspired so many people both on stage and off. At the Tony Awards last Sunday, both Audra McDonald and Kenny Leon paid tribute to Ruby Dee during their acceptance speeches,” said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the Broadway League, which represents producers and theater owners.

Broadway theaters will dim their marquees on Friday in Dee’s memory.

“Through her remarkable performances, Ruby paved the way for generations of black actors and actresses, and inspired African-American women across our country,” President Obama said in a statement.

Dee was born as Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, the daughter of a train porter and a schoolteacher, and was raised in the Harlem section of New York City.

She attended Hunter College in New York, then joined the American Negro Theater in 1941 before making her way to Broadway.

In 1946, she appeared on Broadway with Davis, who also became a director and playwright, in “Jeb,” about a black soldier back from World War Two who confronts the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan.

Reuters 

Image STEPHEN CHERNIN

Mentioned In This Post: