Ruby Dee

Attended and graduated from Hunter College with degrees in French and Spanish in 1944.

Her film debut was That Man of Mine (1946).

She also starred in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), Cat People (1982), Do the Right Thing (1989), and American Gangster (2007).

Ruby Dee was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and civil rights activist. She is best known for originating the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun (1961).

1989: Voted into the NAACP image award Hall of Fame with husband Ossie Davis.

1995: She and husband Ossie Davis were awarded the American National Medal of the Arts from the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, D.C.

In early 2003, she and her husband signed "Not In My Name", a statement opposing the impending invasion of Iraq. Other signatories included Susan Sarandon, Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn.

2004: Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, along with Elton John, Joan Sutherland, John Williams, Warren Beatty and husband Ossie Davis.

For her performance as Mahalee Lucas in American Gangster (2007), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2008, at age 85, she became the second oldest actress to be nominated for an Academy Award. The oldest is Gloria Stuart.

As of 2019, she stands as the second oldest nominee for Best Supporting Actress, behind Gloria Stuart who was 87 when nominated for her role in Titanic for the 70th Academy Awards, 1998.