Ossie Davis was found dead in his hotel room today of apparently natural causes. (He was 87.) I always liked him- he even gave the abysmal and cloying Evening Shade some dignity and he’s one of those actors whose work seemed to get better and more frequent with age.
Some trivia about him: probably his most lucrative career highlight was when the musical Purlie (based on his Purlie Victorious [which gave early work to both Sorrell “Boss Hogg” Booke and Alan Alda]) was a hit on Broadway, but he hated that musical with a passion. His agent sold the rights to produce the musical and he received a portion of the royalties, but he felt it castrated his original piece. (Still, I love a couple of the songs- “New Kind of Preacher Man” and “First thing Monday Morning” especially.)
He is survived by Ruby Dee (his wife of 56 years) and their children and grandchildren.
Some more trivia about him: he was a father figure to the daughters of Malcolm X after their real father’s murder. (Of course his eulogy for Malcolm is one of the classics of AfricanAmerican speeches.)
Wow, this is a real downer. He and Ruby Dee were recently being honored by the Kennedy Center, which was a real treat. (I had to wonder whether W even knew who they were; he seemed bored at the ceremony) My favorite performance of his remains his brilliant Da Mayor in Do the Right Thing, but he could always be relied on to really deliver the goods. A terrific performer and a terrific role model (sustaining a relationship for so long, giving back to his community in a variety of ways, etc.) when both seem in short supply among movie stars now.
Spike Lee thought the world of him, and cast him in a bunch of his movies. It was Ossie reading the eulogy he gave for Malcom in Spike’s movie.
Ossie Davis once remarked that every time he and Ruby were onstage, or in a movie, or on TV, people were looking at them and making a judgement about black folks, so he always tried to be a good role model. It didn’t matter whether or not they had chosen to be role models, he understood that due to their position in the public eye, they WERE.
Lots of people in the public eye today would do well to think about that.
He and Ruby Dee were recently being honored by the Kennedy Center, which was a real treat. (I had to wonder whether W even knew who they were; he seemed bored at the ceremony) My favorite performance of his remains his brilliant Da Mayor in Do the Right Thing, but he could always be relied on to really deliver the goods. A terrific performer and a terrific role model (sustaining a relationship for so long, giving back to his community in a variety of ways, etc.) when both seem in short supply among movie stars now.