50 Facts About Ruby Dee

Ruby Dee was married to Ossie Davis, with whom she frequently performed until his death in 2005.

Ruby Dee received numerous accolades, including an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Obie Award, and a Drama Desk Award, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award.

Ruby Dee was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1995, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2000, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.

Ruby Dee made her Broadway debut in South Pacific.

Ruby Dee met her future husband working together on the play Jeb.

Ruby Dee originated the Broadway roles of Ruth Younger in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun and reprised the role in the 1961 film and Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins in the Ossie Davis play Purlie Victorious and reprised the role in the 1963 film.

Ruby Dee made her film debut in That Man of Mine before landing a leading roles in films such as The Jackie Robinson Story, Edge of the City, Take a Giant Step, and Buck and the Preacher.

Ruby Dee acted in the Ossie Davis film Black Girl, and the Spike Lee films Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever.

Ruby Dee received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in The Doctors and the Nurses and Decoration Day.

Ruby Dee was nominated for her other roles in Roots: The Next Generations, Lincoln, China Beach, and Evening Shade.

Ruby Dee acted in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Long Day's Journey into Night, Go Tell It on the Mountain, The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson, and The Stand.

Ruby Dee joined the American Negro Theatre as an apprentice, working with Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and Hilda Simms.

Ruby Dee made her Broadway debut portraying a Native in the play South Pacific.

Ruby Dee played the title role in the Eugene O'Neill play Anna Lucasta.

Ruby Dee met her future husband Ossie Davis in the post-World War II play Jeb.

Ruby Dee received national recognition for her portrayal of Rachel Robinson in the sports drama film The Jackie Robinson Story.

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times praised Ruby Dee's performance describing her as "the well restrained sweetheart".

Ruby Dee continued acting in films such as the historical crime film The Tall Target, the sports film Go Man Go, the music film St Louis Blues, and the British drama Virgin Island.

Ruby Dee acted alongside Sidney Poitier and Louis Gossett Jr.

Ruby Dee reprised the role in the 1961 film of the same name.

Ruby Dee returned to Broadway in the Ossie Davis satirical farce Purlie Victorious portraying Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins.

Ruby Dee acted opposite her husband Ossie Davis and Alan Alda in his acting debut.

Ruby Dee received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role on The Doctors and the Nurses.

In 1965, Ruby Dee performed in lead roles at the American Shakespeare Festival as Kate in The Taming of the Shrew and Cordelia in King Lear, becoming the first black actress to portray a lead role in the festival.

Ruby Dee then acted in the film noir The Incident, the drama film Uptight, and the documentary King: A Filmed Record.

In 1969, Ruby Dee appeared in 20 episodes of Peyton Place.

Ruby Dee acted in Ossie Davis' films Black Girl and Countdown at Kusini and the Western film Buck and the Preacher with Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte.

Ruby Dee appeared as Cora Sanders, a Marxist college professor, in season 1, episode 14 of Police Woman, entitled "Target Black" which aired on Friday night, January 3,1975.

Ruby Dee appeared in one episode of The Golden Girls' sixth season.

Ruby Dee played Queen Haley in the miniseries Roots: The Next Generations for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

Ruby Dee was nominated for eight Emmy Awards, winning once for her role in the 1990 TV film Decoration Day.

Ruby Dee was nominated for her television guest appearance in the China Beach episode, "Skylark".

Ruby Dee appeared in Spike Lee's 1989 film Do the Right Thing, and his 1991 film Jungle Fever.

Ruby Dee starred in the television films portraying Mary Tyrone in Long Day's Journey into Night and Mrs Grimes in Go Tell It on the Mountain.

Ruby Dee returned to Broadway in the play Checkmates written by Ron Milner.

Ruby Dee acted alongside Denzel Washington, Paul Winfield and Marsha Jackson.

Ruby Dee played Mother Abagail Freemantle in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand.

Ruby Dee collaborated with comedian Bill Cosby acting in both Cosby in 1998 and voicing Alice the Great in the Nick Jr.

Ruby Dee portrayed Mama Lucas in the Ridley Scott directed crime film American Gangster.

Ruby Dee won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role for the same performance.

At 85 years of age, Ruby Dee is currently the third oldest nominee for Best Supporting Actress, behind Gloria Stuart and Judi Dench.

On February 12,2009, Ruby Dee joined the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College orchestra and chorus, along with the Riverside Inspirational Choir and NYC Labor Choir, in honoring Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday at the Riverside Church in New York City.

Under the direction of Maurice Peress, they performed Earl Robinson's The Lonesome Train: A Music Legend for Actors, Folk Singers, Choirs, and Orchestra, in which Ruby Dee was the narrator.

Ruby Dee was a breast cancer survivor of more than three decades.

Ruby Dee was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality, the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Ruby Dee was as an active member of the Harlem Writers Guild for over 40 years.

In 1963, Ruby Dee emceed the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Ruby Dee was inducted into the Westchester County Women's Hall of Fame on March 30,2007, joining such other honorees as Hillary Clinton and Nita Lowey.

Ruby Dee died on June 11,2014, at her home in New Rochelle, New York, from natural causes at the age of 91.

Ruby Dee was cremated, and her ashes are held in the same urn as that of Davis, with the inscription "In this thing together".