USA

Civil rights activist, actor and director Ossie Davis was born on December 18, 1917, in Cogdell, Georgia. He studied both at Howard and Columbia University. Most of his career was spent acting, and he started that career in 1950, with the film No Way Out, which also starred Sidney Poitier. He was one of few Black actors who were able to find commercial success in the 60’s and 70’s without falling into stereotypical roles. His directing career was mostly limited to the 1970’s. Davis was also very active in the Civil Rights Movement, participating in marches and speaking out for racial equality, and working with friends Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Davis died unexpectedly on February 4, 2005, in Miami Beach, Florida. At the time of his death, he had been working on a film entitled Retirement. That same year, he and his wife Ruby Dee were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album with Jimmy Carter in 2007.

Filmography

Kongi’s Harvest (1970)
Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
Black Girl (1972)
Gordon’s War (1973)
Countdown at Kusini (1976)
Crown Dick (1987)