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.

Filmography

• 2026Love in Exile — Writer
• 2024Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch — Writer, Original Story
• 2005Deacons for Defense — Reverend 'Rev' Gregory
• 2004Baadasssss! — Granddad
• 2004Proud — Lorenzo DuFau
• 2004She Hate Me — Judge Buchanan
• TV Revolution
• The L Word — Melvin Porter
• 2003The Tuskegee Airmen: They Fought Two Wars — Narrator
• 2003Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
• 2002Bubba Ho-tep — John F. "Jack" Kennedy
• Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years — Narrator
• 2001Feast of All Saints — Jean-Jacques
• 2001Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore — Narrator
• 2001The Legend of the Candy Cane — Julius (voice)
• 2000Dinosaur — Yar (voice)
• 2000Finding Buck McHenry — Buck McHenry
• 2000Here's to Life! — Duncan Cox
• 1999A Vow to Cherish — Alexander Billman
• 1999The Secret Path — Too Tall
• 1999The Soul Collector — Mordecai
• 1999The Unfinished Journey — Narrator (voice)
• Third Watch — Mr. Parker
• 1999Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve — Caretaker
• 1998Doctor Dolittle — Archer Dolittle
• 1998Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist — Self, Thanks
• 199712 Angry Men — Juror 2
• 1997Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers — Narrator
• 1997Miss Evers' Boys — Mr. Evers
• Thomas Jefferson — Narrator (voice)
• 1996Get on the Bus — Jeremiah / 'Pop'
• 1996I'm Not Rappaport — Midge Carter
• Promised Land — Erasmus Jones
• JAG — Terrence Minnerly
• 1995Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder — Uncle Phil
• 1995The Android Affair — Dr. Winston
• The Client — Judge Harry Roosevelt
• 1994Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World — Narrator
• Baseball — Various (voice)
• 1994Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice — Uncle Phil
• 1994The Client — Harry Roosevelt
• The Stand — Judge Richard Farris, Judge Richard Farris (credit only)
• Touched by an Angel — Gabriel, Erasmus Jones
• Alex Haley's Queen — Parson Dick
• 1993Cop & ½ — Detective in Squad Room
• 1993Goin' Back to T-Town — Narrator
• 1993Grumpy Old Men — Chuck
• 1993The Ernest Green Story — Grandfather
• 1992Gladiator — Noah
• 1992Haiti: Killing the Dream
• 1992Lincoln — Frederick Douglas (voice)
• 1992Malcolm X — Eulogy Performer (voice)
• 1992The Real Malcolm X
• 1991Jungle Fever — Reverend Purify
• Evening Shade — Ponder Blue
• 1990Joe Versus the Volcano — Marshall
• 1990The Red Shoes
• B.L. Stryker — Oz Jackson
• 1989Do the Right Thing — Da Mayor
• 1988School Daze — Coach Odom
• 1986Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories — Anansi the Spider (Sleepytime Songs and Stories) (voice)
• 1985Avenging Angel — Capt. Harry Moradian
• 1984Harry & Son — Raymond
• 1984Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood — Narrator
• 1984The House of God — Dr. Sanders
• 1983For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers — Writer
• American Playhouse — Writer
• 1981Death of a Prophet
• 1981Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige — Chuffy Russell
• 1981Purlie — Musical
• 1980All God's Children — Blaine Whitfield
• 1979Freedom Man — Benjamin Banneker
• 1979Freedom Road — Narrator
• 1979Hot Stuff — Captain John Geiberger
• Roots: The Next Generations — 'Dad' Jones
• King — Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.
• 1977Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid — Dr. Fredericks
• 1976Countdown at Kusini — Ernest Motapo, Director, Screenplay
• 1976The Tenth Level — Reed
• 1975Black Shadows on a Silver Screen — Narrator
• 1975Let's Do It Again — Elder Johnson
• 1973Gordon's War — Director
• 1972Black Girl — Director
• 1972Malcolm X — Eulogy (voice)
• 1971The Sheriff — James Lucas
• 1970Cotton Comes to Harlem — Director, Screenplay
• 1970Kongi's Harvest — Narrator, Director
• Hawaii Five-O — Ramon Borelle
• 1969Night Gallery — Osmond Portifoy
• 1969Sam Whiskey — Jed Hooker
• 1969Slaves — Luke
• 1969Teacher, Teacher — Charles Carter
• 1969The Fall
• 1968Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class — Narrator
• The Name of the Game — Kubani
• 1968The Scalphunters — Joseph Lee
• 1967Black Liberation — Narrator
• 1967The Outsider — Lt. Wagner
• 1966A Man Called Adam — Nelson Davis
• Run for Your Life — Frankie Morton, Dave Corbett, Sgt. Dave Corbett
• 1965The Hill — Jacko King
• 1965The Sun... the Sand... the Hill — Jason King (archival footage), Jason King (archive footage)
• 12 O'Clock High — Major Glenn Luke
• 1964Shock Treatment — Capshaw
• East Side/West Side — Writer
• 1963Gone Are the Days! — Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson, Writer
• 1963The Cardinal — Father Gillis
• The Fugitive — Lt. Johnny Gaines
• The Great Adventure — John Ross
• 1962Hands of Inge — Narrator (voice)
• The Defenders — Nixie, Officer Bond, Assistant District Attorney, District Attorney Daniel Jackson
• 1960John Brown's Raid — Dangerfield Newby
• Bonanza — Sam Davis
• 1951Fourteen Hours — Cab Driver (uncredited)
• Hallmark Hall of Fame — Charles Carter
• 1950No Way Out — John Brooks (uncredited)
• Kraft Television Theatre — The Emperor Jones

Appearances as themselves (27)

• 2022Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues — Self (archive footage)
• Folk Britannia — Self (archival footage)
• 2005By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X' — Self
• 2005The History Makers: Success — Self
• 2005The Peace! — Self
• 2005Unstoppable — Self
• 2004Beah: A Black Woman Speaks — Self
• 2003Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property — Himself
• 2003The Evolution of an American Filmmaker — Self
• 2002Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun' — Self
• 1999Paul Robeson: Here I Stand — Self
• Christianity: The First 1000 Years — Himself - Narrator
• 1998Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood — Self
• 19974 Little Girls — Self - Actor and Playwright
• 1997Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough — Self
• The West — Self, Self / John R. Gills (voice)
• 1994Malcolm X: Make It Plain — Self
• 1991Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker — Self
• 1989Making 'Do the Right Thing' — Self
• American Experience — Self - Harlem Resident
• American Masters — Self
• 1985Tyler Texas Black Film Collection — Himself
• Reading Rainbow — Self - Narrator (voice)
• The Kennedy Center Honors — Self
• 1973Wattstax — Self (uncredited)
• 1967Now is the Time — Self
• Tony Awards — Self - Presenter