Biography: Ossie Davis was born Raiford Chatman Davis on December 18, 1917 in Cogdell, Clinch County, Georgia to Laura and Kince Charles Davis. He attended Howard University and then joined the Rose McClendon Players in Harlem. He served in the United States Army during World War II as a medical technician. He married actress Ruby Dee, a fellow civil rights activist. They had three children: Guy, Nora Day, and Hasna Muhammad.

Film/TV Credits: Film credits include: "Do the Right Thing," "Malcolm X," "Dinosaur," "The Client," "Grumpy Old Men," "Doctor Dolittle," "Fourteen Hours," "Joe Versus the Volcano," "Jungle Fever," "Gladiator," "School Daze," and "She Hate Me." Television credits include: "The L Word," "Bonanza," "JAG," "Hawaii Five-O," "Third Watch," "Touched by an Angel," "The Fugitive," and "Night Gallery."

Other Awards: Named to NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame with his wife, Ruby Dee, in 1989. Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994. Awarded the American National Medal of the Arts with Ruby Dee in 1995. Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special for "Finding Buck McHenry" in 2001. Received the Kennedy Center Honors with Ruby Dee in 2004. Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album with Ruby Dee for "With Ossie And Ruby: In This Life Together" in 2007.

Trivia:
He delivered the eulogy at the funeral of Malcolm X in 1965. In 1968, he eulogized Dr. King.
The marquees of Broadway theaters were dimmed in his honor on February 4, 2005.