Ossie Davis

In addition to his roles as an actor, director, and producer, Ossie Davis prefers to be known foremost as a writer. Author of the Tony Award winning play “Purlie Victorious,” Davis has also published such plays as “Curtain Call,” “Mr. Aldredge,” “Sir Langston,” and “Escape to Freedom.” He is a Neil Simon award-winner as author of “For Us The Living,” the story of Medgar Evers. Davis has completed work on his first novel about young people in the Civil Rights Movement called Just Like Martin, published by Simon and Schuster.

Ossie Davis is well known across the country as a speaker as well as a performer—often with his wife, Ruby Dee. Through their company, Emmalyn Enterprises, Davis and Dee produced with PBS some of their best work—“Martin Luther King: The Dream and the Drum; A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill Moyers,” and the critically acclaimed series “With Ossie and Ruby.” So special are these programs that they were the first chosen for broadcast in China as part of an exchange between PBS and Chinese Television.

Ossie Davis’ career began while attending Howard University. Encouraged to investigate the theater, Davis came to New York and joined the Rose McClendon Players, a Harlem theater group founded by Dick Campbell. Later, he studied acting with Lloyd Richards and Paul Mann. He debuted on Broadway in “Jeb.” Among his Broadway debuts are “Green Pastures,” “Anna Lucasta,” “Wisteria Trees,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “I’m Not Rappaport” and his own satirical farce “Purlie Victorious.”

Davis’ most recent film performances have been in the soon to be released movie version of the play “I'm Not Rappaport;” as well as past appearances in John Grisham’s “The Client” and “Grumpy Old Men.” His work with Spike Lee includes “School Daze,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Jungle Fever,” and voice narration for “Malcolm X.” Davis’ other movie credits for acting or directing include “The Cardinal,” “The Hill,” “The Scalphunters,” “Let’s Do It Again,” “Cotton Comes to Harlem,” “Gordon’s War” and “Kongi’s Harvest.”

Davis’ television performances include ”A Menu for Murder,” “B.L. Stryker” and “Evening Shade.” Davis was also in the CBS miniseries “Queen,” Alex Haley’s last screenplay, and “The Ernest Green Story” for Disney. Davis has appeared in “The Stand,” and “The Client” television miniseries. He has served as host of the National Memorial Day Concert at the nation’s Capitol for the last two years and, with Ms. Dee, has also hosted the African Heritage Movie Network Series of black film classics for three seasons.

Davis is the recipient of many awards, citations and honorary degrees. He also has an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Daddy King in “King.” He was inducted into the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame in 1989, and later to the Theater Hall of Fame in New York. In 1994, Davis and his wife were given the Silver Circle Award by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 1995, the pair received of the prestigious National Medal of Arts Award bestowed at the White House by President and Mrs. Clinton.

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8/28/03: Georgetown University’s “Let Freedom Ring”

As part of Georgetown University’s “Let Freedom Ring” initiative, Georgetown and the Kennedy Center will host an evening of reflections and music celebrating the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic “I Have A Dream” speech, featuring actor and activist Ossie Davis and Georgetown student leaders, with music by the Metropolitan Baptist Music Ministry and Georgetown University Gospel Choir.

Georgetown University’s “Let Freedom Ring”

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