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Ossie Davis 1917- 2005
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Ossie Davis (1917- 2005)
A great American actor, director, playwright, poet, historian, and civil rights activist, Ossie Davis, is dead.
Ossie Davis was a superb stage and screen actor who used his position in society to speak out on Civil Rights in the 1960’s, a time when many found that a very controversial thing to do.
It was Davis who did the eulogy at the funeral of Malcolm X, who marched on Washington with Martin Luther King, and spoke his mind on an impressive array of issues; and that is probably why he is not as well known to movie audiences as some of his contemporaries. He put his fame on the line and his career on hold to do what he thought was right.
On screen few had that presence of Ossie Davis.
Here are some memorable screen roles:
1. “No Way Out” (1950) taught film noir classic starred Richard Widmark as a bigot who helps create race riots to avenge his brothers death. Screen debut of Davis, his wife Ruby Dee, and Sidney Poitier.
2. “Gone Are The Days” (1963) Ossie Davis wrote the play and adapted it for film. Cheap movie is emboldened by great performances, as self appointed preacher tires to put a plantation owner out of business. Co- stars Ruby Dee and is Alan Alda’s screen debut.
3. “The Hill” (1965) One of director Sidney Lumet’s greatest movies is this brutal prison camp saga which starred Sean Connery.
4. “The Scalphunters” (1968) Rowdy Sidney Pollock directed western comedy gave Ossie Davis a memorable role as an underhanded trader. Burt Lancaster and Shelly Winters co- star.
5. “Cotton Comes To Harlem” (1969) Davis directed Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques in this R rated comedy cop caper that relied heavily on an understanding of African American culture. Seems a bit dated now.
6. “Let’s Do It Again” (1975) a fun family comedy featuring Sidney Poitier (who also directed), Bill Cosby, and Jimmy Walker.
7. “Do The Right Thing” (1989) Spike Lee’s fascinating film about explosive “integrated” neighborhood reunited Davis with Ruby Dee on screen and gave him one of his best screen roles.
8. “Joe Vs. The Volcano” (1990) One of the thing’s that make this wildly uneven comedy work is the casting of Ossie Davis as a chauffer and guidance counselor for the hapless Joe Banks (Tom Hanks).
9. “Jungle Fever” (1991) Thanks to Spike Lee, Ossie Davis experienced a renaissance in the nineties and this is one reason why.
10. “Bubba Ho-Tep” (2004) Crazy monster movie about a mummy on the loose in a retirement home being pursued by Elvis and JFK (or at least two inmates who think they are those two icons,) is saved by Bruce Campbell’s great turn as “Elvis” and Ossie Davis as “JFK” in one of his last screen roles. Davis said of the role: “It was a little odd, you know, but I just believed what the character believed. That is my job as an actor.”
Lucky for all of us, he always believed what the character believed, even if he was the character
Ossie Davis (1917- 2005)
A great American actor, director, playwright, poet, historian, and civil rights activist, Ossie Davis, is dead.
Ossie Davis was a superb stage and screen actor who used his position in society to speak out on Civil Rights in the 1960’s, a time when many found that a very controversial thing to do.
It was Davis who did the eulogy at the funeral of Malcolm X, who marched on Washington with Martin Luther King, and spoke his mind on an impressive array of issues; and that is probably why he is not as well known to movie audiences as some of his contemporaries. He put his fame on the line and his career on hold to do what he thought was right.
On screen few had that presence of Ossie Davis.
Here are some memorable screen roles:
1. “No Way Out” (1950) taught film noir classic starred Richard Widmark as a bigot who helps create race riots to avenge his brothers death. Screen debut of Davis, his wife Ruby Dee, and Sidney Poitier.
2. “Gone Are The Days” (1963) Ossie Davis wrote the play and adapted it for film. Cheap movie is emboldened by great performances, as self appointed preacher tires to put a plantation owner out of business. Co- stars Ruby Dee and is Alan Alda’s screen debut.
3. “The Hill” (1965) One of director Sidney Lumet’s greatest movies is this brutal prison camp saga which starred Sean Connery.
4. “The Scalphunters” (1968) Rowdy Sidney Pollock directed western comedy gave Ossie Davis a memorable role as an underhanded trader. Burt Lancaster and Shelly Winters co- star.
5. “Cotton Comes To Harlem” (1969) Davis directed Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques in this R rated comedy cop caper that relied heavily on an understanding of African American culture. Seems a bit dated now.
6. “Let’s Do It Again” (1975) a fun family comedy featuring Sidney Poitier (who also directed), Bill Cosby, and Jimmy Walker.
7. “Do The Right Thing” (1989) Spike Lee’s fascinating film about explosive “integrated” neighborhood reunited Davis with Ruby Dee on screen and gave him one of his best screen roles.
8. “Joe Vs. The Volcano” (1990) One of the thing’s that make this wildly uneven comedy work is the casting of Ossie Davis as a chauffer and guidance counselor for the hapless Joe Banks (Tom Hanks).
9. “Jungle Fever” (1991) Thanks to Spike Lee, Ossie Davis experienced a renaissance in the nineties and this is one reason why.
10. “Bubba Ho-Tep” (2004) Crazy monster movie about a mummy on the loose in a retirement home being pursued by Elvis and JFK (or at least two inmates who think they are those two icons,) is saved by Bruce Campbell’s great turn as “Elvis” and Ossie Davis as “JFK” in one of his last screen roles. Davis said of the role: “It was a little odd, you know, but I just believed what the character believed. That is my job as an actor.”
Lucky for all of us, he always believed what the character believed, even if he was the character
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