Ossie Davis
Known for: Acting
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.
Filmography
Series
The Fugitive
Lt. Johnny Gaines
1963
Series
Roots: The Next Generations
'Dad' Jones
1979
Series
JAG
Terrence Minnerly
1995
Series
Baseball
Various (voice)
1994
Series
Baseball
(voice)
1994
Series
Bonanza
Sam Davis
1959
Series
Hawaii Five-O
Ramon Borelle
1968
Series
Third Watch
Mr. Parker
1999
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter
1956
Series
American Experience
Self - Harlem Resident
1988
Series
Touched by an Angel
Gabriel
1994
Series
Touched by an Angel
Erasmus Jones
1994
Series
The L Word
Melvin Porter
2004
Series
The Defenders
Nixie
1961
Series
The Defenders
Officer Bond
1961
Series
The Defenders
Assistant District Attorney
1961
Series
The Defenders
District Attorney
1961
Series
The Defenders
District Attorney Daniel Jackson
1961
Series
American Masters
Self
1986
Series
Run for Your Life
Frankie Morton
1965
Series
Run for Your Life
Dave Corbett
1965
Series
Run for Your Life
Sgt. Dave Corbett
1965
Series
The Name of the Game
Kubani
1968
Series
Reading Rainbow
Self - Narrator (voice)
1983
Series
Kraft Television Theatre
The Emperor Jones
1947
Series
12 O'Clock High
Major Glenn Luke
1964
Series
The Stand
Judge Richard Farris
1994
Series
The Stand
Judge Richard Farris (credit only)
1994
Series
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self
1978
Series
Evening Shade
Ponder Blue
1990
Film
The Client
Harry Roosevelt
1994
Film
Dinosaur
Yar (voice)
2000
Series
Promised Land
1996
Series
Promised Land
Erasmus Jones
1996
Film
Doctor Dolittle
Archer Dolittle
1998
Series
The Great Adventure
John Ross
1963
Film
Malcolm X
Eulogy Performer (voice)
1992
Film
Gladiator
Noah
1992
Film
Do the Right Thing
Da Mayor
1989
Film
12 Angry Men
Juror 2
1998
Series
The Client
Judge Harry Roosevelt
1995
Series
B.L. Stryker
Oz Jackson
1989
Film
Grumpy Old Men
Chuck
1993
Series
Alex Haley's Queen
Parson Dick
1993
Film
Jungle Fever
Reverend Purify
1991
Film
She Hate Me
Judge Buchanan
2004
Film
The Secret Path
Too Tall
1999
Series
The West
Self
1996
Series
The West
Self / John R. Gills (voice)
1996
Film
Joe Versus the Volcano
Marshall
1990
Film
Bubba Ho-tep
John F. "Jack" Kennedy
2002
Film
School Daze
Coach Odom
1988
Film
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Self (archive footage)
2022
Film
Fourteen Hours
Cab Driver (uncredited)
1951
TV Revolution
2004
Series
King
Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.
1978
Film
The Hill
Jacko King
1965
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Charles Carter
1951
Film
Get on the Bus
Jeremiah / 'Pop'
1996
Film
The Cardinal
Father Gillis
1963
Film
Avenging Angel
Capt. Harry Moradian
1985
Film
Cop & ½
Detective in Squad Room
1993
Film
No Way Out
John Brooks (uncredited)
1950
Film
Feast of All Saints
Jean-Jacques
2001
Film
Sam Whiskey
Jed Hooker
1969
Film
Let's Do It Again
Elder Johnson
1975
Film
Harry & Son
Raymond
1984
Series
Thomas Jefferson
Narrator (voice)
1997
Film
The Scalphunters
Joseph Lee
1968
Film
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige
Chuffy Russell
1981
The Peace!
Self
2005
Film
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Self
1991
Film
The Unfinished Journey
Narrator (voice)
1999
Film
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
Uncle Phil
1994
Film
Miss Evers' Boys
Mr. Evers
1997
Film
I'm Not Rappaport
Midge Carter
1996
Film
Slaves
Luke
1969
Film
Night Gallery
Osmond Portifoy
1969
Film
Hot Stuff
Captain John Geiberger
1979
Making 'Do the Right Thing'
Self
1989
Film
A Man Called Adam
Nelson Davis
1966
The Sun... the Sand... the Hill
Jason King (archive footage)
1965
The Sun... the Sand... the Hill
Jason King (archival footage)
1965
Folk Britannia
Self (archival footage)
2006
Film
Proud
Lorenzo DuFau
2004
Lincoln
Frederick Douglas (voice)
1992
Film
Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class
Narrator
1968
Film
Teacher, Teacher
Charles Carter
1969
Film
4 Little Girls
Self - Actor and Playwright
1997
Film
The Sheriff
James Lucas
1971
Film
Black Liberation
Narrator
1967
Film
Gone Are the Days!
Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson
1963
Film
John Brown's Raid
Dangerfield Newby
1960
Film
Baadasssss!
Granddad
2004
Christianity: The First 1000 Years
Himself - Narrator
1998
Film
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
Self
1997
Film
The Real Malcolm X
1992
Film
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
2003
Film
Wattstax
Self (uncredited)
1973
Film
The House of God
Dr. Sanders
1984
Film
Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property
Himself
2003
Film
The Evolution of an American Filmmaker
Self
2003
Film
Deacons for Defense
Reverend 'Rev' Gregory
2005
Film
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
Uncle Phil
1995
Film
The Tenth Level
Reed
1976
Film
The Ernest Green Story
Grandfather
1993
Film
Kongi's Harvest
Narrator
1970
Series
Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years
Narrator
2002
Film
Death of a Prophet
1981
Film
The History Makers: Success
Self
2005
Film
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
Self
1998
Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood
Narrator
1984
Love in Exile
2026
Film
All God's Children
Blaine Whitfield
1980
Film
Freedom Road
Narrator
1979
Film
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks
Self
2004
Film
The Outsider
Lt. Wagner
1967
Film
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
Narrator
1975
Film
Shock Treatment
Capshaw
1964
Film
Malcolm X
Eulogy (voice)
1972
Film
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
Self
1998
Film
Goin' Back to T-Town
Narrator
1993
Film
Finding Buck McHenry
Buck McHenry
2000
Film
The Soul Collector
Mordecai
1999
Film
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
Self
2005
Film
The Legend of the Candy Cane
Julius (voice)
2001
Film
The Android Affair
Dr. Winston
1995
Film
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
Dr. Fredericks
1977
Film
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
Self
1999
Film
Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun'
Self
2002
Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World
Narrator
1994
Film
A Vow to Cherish
Alexander Billman
1999
Film
Here's to Life!
Duncan Cox
2000
Film
Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories
Anansi the Spider (Sleepytime Songs and Stories) (voice)
1986
Film
Countdown at Kusini
Ernest Motapo
1976
Now is the Time
Self
1967
Film
Haiti: Killing the Dream
1992
Film
The Fall
1969
Film
Malcolm X: Make It Plain
Self
1994
Freedom Man
Benjamin Banneker
1979
Film
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Caretaker
1999
Film
Hands of Inge
Narrator (voice)
1962
Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers
Narrator
1997
The Tuskegee Airmen: They Fought Two Wars
Narrator
2003
Film
Tyler Texas Black Film Collection
Himself
1985
Film
The Red Shoes
1990
Unstoppable
Self
2005
Film
Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore
Narrator
2001