Early Life:
Born in Cleveland on October 27, 1924, Ruby Ann Wallace moved with her father to New York's Harlem neighborhood as an infant, after her mother left them. Ruby's father remarried, to a schoolteacher, and she grew up in Harlem. Later, she graduated from New York City's Hunter College.Acting Credits:
Ruby Ann Wallace, taking the stage name Ruby Dee, debuted on Broadway in the late 1940s, with a small part in South Pacific. Since then, she has appeared in dozens of plays, films, and television shows. Highlights include the film "The Jackie Robinson Story" (1950), "A Raisin in the Sun" on Broadway(1959), and the TV film "Decoration Day" (1990). For a complete list of Ms. Dee's acting credits, see her page on IMDB.Cleveland Connection:
Dee has appeared in numerous Cleveland stage plays, beginning with the touring production of "Anna Lucasta" in 1946 at the Hanna Theater. Since then, she has appeared in several Karamu House productions and with the Great Lakes Theater Festival. Her most recent Cleveland appearance was in the Cleveland Play House's production of "St. Lucy's Eyes."Personal Life:
Ruby Dee has been married twice, to Frank Dee Brown in 1941 (they divorced in 1945) and to actor Ossie Davis in 1948. She and Davis remained married until his death in 2005. The pair had three children.Dee and Davis were active in the 1960s Civil Rights movement and were personal friends with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. In fact, she gave the eulogy at the Malcolm X's funeral.
