Ossie Davis: Actor, Director and Civil Rights Activist Dies at 87

Ossie Davis was an American actor, director, writer and activist. Born on December 18, 1917, in Cogdell, Georgia, he studied at Howard University and began on stage in Harlem.

Davis wrote and starred in the Broadway comedy Purlie Victorious (1961) and acted in films by Spike Lee, including Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever. He directed Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970). He delivered the eulogy for Malcolm X in 1965.

He and his wife, actress Ruby Dee, were married for 56 years and worked together in film, stage and civil rights causes. Davis received the National Medal of Arts in 1995 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004. He died in a Miami Beach hotel on February 4, 2005, at age 87, of natural causes.

Achievements: National Medal of Arts (1995), Kennedy Center Honors (2004), Grammy Award.

Birth: December 18, 1917 - Cogdell, Georgia.

Profession: Actor and director.

Interesting Facts: He and Ruby Dee hosted a PBS series about their lives together.