Davis, Ossie; and Dee, Ruby

Ossie Davis byname of Raiford Chatman Davis , Dee's original name Ruby Ann Wallace

(respectively, born December 18, 1917, Cogdell, Georgia, U.S.—died February 4, 2005, Miami Beach, Florida; born October 27, 1924, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.) American husband-and-wife acting team known for their contributions to African American theatre and film and for their passionate support of civil rights and humanitarian causes. The couple was jointly awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1995.

After attending Howard University in Washington, D.C., Davis moved to New York City to pursue a career as a writer. He served in the army during World War II but returned to New York City after the war with an interest in acting. In 1946 he made his Broadway debut in Jeb, during the run of which he met Dee. By that time Dee had completed her studies at Hunter College in Manhattan and served an apprenticeship with the American Negro Theatre. The couple married in 1948.

Davis and Dee frequently appeared together on stage, screen, and television—most notably in Purlie Victorious (1961), a play written by Davis and later adapted for the screen as Gone Are the Days (1963). They also enjoyed individual successes. Davis directed and wrote the screenplay for the film Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970). Dee was part of the original stage cast of A Raisin in the Sun (1959) and appeared in the 1961 film version as well. Both continued to work into the 21st century, combining their acting pursuits with writing (Dee published several books) and civil rights campaigning. They made several films with Spike Lee, including Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992), in which Davis reenacted the real-life eulogy he had given for the fallen civil rights leader.