Actor, activist, and ATLFF friend Ruby Dee passes away at 91
Cinema legend, Academy Award nominee, Grammy and Emmy winner Ruby Dee passed away at 91. She was known for her roles in RAISIN IN THE SUN, DO THE RIGHT THING and AMERICAN GANGSTER. In 2001, Atlanta Film Festival (known then as IMAGE Film & Video) inaugurated the Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis Awards. Dee helped to establish the awards in memory of her late husband and fellow actor, Ossie Davis, and the festival presented the awards for several years.
Former IMAGE Executive Director Brian Newman recalls:
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis embodied the spirit of the festival and the legacy of MLK in Atlanta. They were legends, activists and amongst the finest actors who inspired everyone who saw them on film. We were honored to award them and I'm saddened to hear this news.
In remembrance of Ruby Dee and her contributions to culture, cinema, and civil rights, we'd like to share this 1995 performance video of Dee telling Davis how she would like to be celebrated "When I'm Gone."
Read theatre critic Hilton Als' remembrance of Dee in The New Yorker.