--- description: The actress won an Emmy, Grammy, Screen Actors Guild Award, and was nominated for an Oscar. title: Actress and Activist Ruby Dee Dies at 91 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d4504c05df1b57e/6986975606f2c1def332f715/184803802.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Ruby Dee, Oscar Nominated Actress and Civil Rights Activist, Dies at 91 by [Laura Stampler](/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 12, 2014 5:22 PM CUT  Ruby Dee attends the "The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross" screening at The Paris Theatre Ruby Dee attends the "The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross" screening at The Paris TheatreMichael Stewart—WireImage/Getty by [Laura Stampler](/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 12, 2014 5:22 PM CUT Actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee [died Wednesday at her home in New Rochelle, N.Y](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscar-nominated-actress-ruby-dee-711390 "undefined"), her agent told _The Hollywood Reporter_. Dee was 91. Dee was born in Cleveland and raised in Harlem. She began her career on the stage before gaining national recognition for her 1950 role in _The Jackie Robinson Story._ She went on to a sweeping career in theater, television, and film. She was the winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Screen Actors Guild Award, and was nominated for an Oscar towards the end of her career for the 2007 film _American Gangster_. One of her most notable roles was in 1961’s _A Raisin in the Son_, wherein Dee recreated her stage role. Dee was also known for her activism during the Civil Rights movement. She and her late husband, Ossie Davis, were friends with Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the pair received the National Civil Rights Museum’s Lifetime Achievement Freedom award in 2005\. Dee and her husband were also advocates for open marriages, opting for truth over affairs, which they discussed in a co-written [2000 autobiography.](http://www.amazon.com/Ossie-Ruby-This-Life-Together/dp/0688175821 "undefined") Dee is survived by three children: Nora, Guy, and Hasna. ### Remembering Ruby Dee, 1922-2014  Ruby Dee, an actress and civil rights activist, first gained national recognition for her role as Rae Robinson in the 1950 biopic The Jackie Robinson Story. FPG/Getty Images  One of her best known roles was as Ruth Younger in the 1961 drama A Raisin in the Sun. Bettman/Corbis  Ruby Dee was also a civil rights activist. Above, Dee is seen giving a reading at Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 March on Washington in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963. Charles Del Vecchio—The Washington Post/Getty Images  Ruby won an Emmy in 1991 for her role in Decoration Day. She would also win a Grammy and a Screen Actors Guild Award over the course of her career. Jim Smeal—WireImage/Getty Images  One of her last roles was playing Mama Lucas in the 2007 film American Gangster, a role for which she would be nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Universal Actress and Activist Ruby Dee Dies at 91 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2865245/ruby-dee/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2865245/ruby-dee/"},"headline":"Ruby Dee, Oscar Nominated Actress and Civil Rights Activist, Dies at 91","datePublished":"2014-06-12T17:22:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:08:16.842Z","description":"The actress won an Emmy, Grammy, Screen Actors Guild Award, and was nominated for an Oscar","url":"https://time.com/2865245/ruby-dee/","keywords":["celebrities","film","actress"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d4504c05df1b57e/6986975606f2c1def332f715/184803802.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d4504c05df1b57e/6986975606f2c1def332f715/184803802.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"\"The African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross\" Screening","caption":"\"The African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross\" Screening","creditText":"Michael Stewart—WireImage/Getty","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2865245/ruby-dee/","name":"Ruby Dee, Oscar Nominated Actress and Civil Rights Activist, Dies at 91"}}]}] ```