Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis (actually Raiford Chatman Davis, born December 18, 1917 in Cogdell, Georgia; † 4 February 2005 in Miami, Florida) was an American actor, director, playwright and civil rights activist.
Life
His acting career that spanned seven decades, began in 1939 in the Harlem theater group Rose McClendon Players. His first film role came in 1950 in No Way Out on the side of Sidney Poitier.
Davis had the same difficulties as most African-American actors of his generation: he wanted to work though, but not only the roles of butlers play, the black actors were usually offered at this time. Instead, he tried to follow Poitier and play more respectable characters, or at least if he had been playing a " Pullman Porter" ( sleeping car ) or a butler to give these figures, character and dignity.
He was late widespread attention, in that he played in various films by Spike Lee, for example, in Jungle Fever ( 1991), Doctor Dolittle (1998), She Hate Me (2004) and Get on the Bus. He also said the backing vocals for some commercials; it was known primarily of record for the American Negro College Fund ". A mind is a terrible thing to waste "
Ossie Davis and his wife, actress Ruby Dee, whom he married in December 1948 and with whom he had three children, were also known for their civil rights engagement. You were friends with Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King and other prominent civil rights activists. Davis wrote the grave speech to Malcolm X; Portions of this speech, he spoke at the end of the film Malcolm X from Spike Lee. He also wrote a book about Martin Luther King Jr.
Ossie Davis was found on 4 February 2005 in his hotel room in Miami dead where he had succumbed to a heart attack. Davies was a member of the Federation of the Freemasons, his box is constituted under the Grand Lodge of Prince Hall.
Filmography
As a director,
As a film actor
Ossie Davis took over 1955-2004 also many roles in television productions, such as the lead role in the television adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Emperor Jones (1955), or in the series Roots - The Next Generations (1979) the sitcom Daddy gives us all (1991-1994) or last in the series The L Word.