Acting
Ossie Davis
EN cinema · 108 credits
Born
18 December 1917
Died
4 February 2005 (aged 87)
Birthplace
Cogdell, Georgia, USA
Also known as Ozzie Davis · Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis · Raiford Chatman Davis
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.
Known for
Filmography
Love in Exile
2026
Love in Exile
Actor, Writer
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Writer, Original Story
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
as Self (archive footage)
Deacons for Defense
as Reverend 'Rev' Gregory
Baadasssss!
as Granddad
Proud
as Lorenzo DuFau
She Hate Me
as Judge Buchanan
Bubba Ho-tep
as John F. "Jack" Kennedy
Feast of All Saints
as Jean-Jacques
The Legend of the Candy Cane
as Julius (voice)
Dinosaur
as Yar (voice)
Finding Buck McHenry
as Buck McHenry
Here's to Life!
as Duncan Cox
The Secret Path
as Too Tall
The Soul Collector
as Mordecai
A Vow to Cherish
as Alexander Billman
The Unfinished Journey
as Narrator (voice)
Doctor Dolittle
as Archer Dolittle
Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist
as Self, Thanks
12 Angry Men
as Juror 2
Miss Evers' Boys
as Mr. Evers
4 Little Girls
as Self - Actor and Playwright
I'm Not Rappaport
as Midge Carter
Get on the Bus
as Jeremiah / 'Pop'
The Android Affair
as Dr. Winston
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
as Uncle Phil
The Client
as Harry Roosevelt
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
as Uncle Phil
Goin' Back to T-Town
as Narrator
Grumpy Old Men
as Chuck
The Ernest Green Story
as Grandfather
Cop & ½
as Detective in Squad Room
Malcolm X
as Eulogy Performer (voice)
Gladiator
as Noah
Lincoln
1992
Lincoln
as Frederick Douglas (voice)
Jungle Fever
as Reverend Purify
Joe Versus the Volcano
as Marshall
Do the Right Thing
as Da Mayor
School Daze
as Coach Odom
Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories
as Anansi the Spider (Sleepytime Songs and Stories) (voice)
Avenging Angel
as Capt. Harry Moradian
Harry & Son
as Raymond
The House of God
as Dr. Sanders
Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood
1984
Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood
as Narrator
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige
as Chuffy Russell
Purlie
Musical
All God's Children
as Blaine Whitfield
Hot Stuff
as Captain John Geiberger
Freedom Road
as Narrator
Freedom Man
1979
Freedom Man
as Benjamin Banneker
Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid
as Dr. Fredericks
The Tenth Level
as Reed
Countdown at Kusini
as Ernest Motapo, Director, Screenplay
Let's Do It Again
as Elder Johnson
Wattstax
as Self (uncredited)
Gordon's War
Director
Malcolm X
as Eulogy (voice)
Black Girl
Director
The Sheriff
as James Lucas
Kongi's Harvest
as Narrator, Director
Cotton Comes to Harlem
Director, Screenplay
Sam Whiskey
as Jed Hooker
Teacher, Teacher
as Charles Carter
Slaves
as Luke
The Fall
Actor
Night Gallery
as Osmond Portifoy
The Scalphunters
as Joseph Lee
The Outsider
as Lt. Wagner
Black Liberation
as Narrator
A Man Called Adam
as Nelson Davis
The Hill
as Jacko King
The Sun... the Sand... the Hill
1965
The Sun... the Sand... the Hill
as Jason King (archival footage), as Jason King (archive footage)
Shock Treatment
as Capshaw
Gone Are the Days!
as Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson, Writer
The Cardinal
as Father Gillis
Hands of Inge
as Narrator (voice)
John Brown's Raid
as Dangerfield Newby
Fourteen Hours
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
No Way Out
as John Brooks (uncredited)