(Born 1917)
The U.S. actor and playwright Ossie Davis is best known for his association with Purlie Victorious (1961). He wrote and starred in the play, which later was made into a film, Gone Are the Days (1963), and a successful Broadway musical, Purlie (1970).
Davis was born on Dec. 18, 1917, in Cogdell, Ga. After attending Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Columbia University in New York City, he joined the United States Army during World War II, serving from 1942 to 1945. He returned to New York City after the war and made his Broadway debut in 1946 in Jeb. Davis' Broadway credits include roles in Jamaica (1957) and A Raisin in the Sun (1959). His motion-picture career included roles in The Joe Louis Story (1953); Cotton Comes to Harlem (1969), which Davis wrote and directed; and Do The Right Thing (1989). Davis and his wife, actress Ruby Dee, were active for many years in the American civil rights movement.
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