Ossie Davis

Ossie Davis (1917-2005), an acclaimed American playwright, actor, director, and civil rights activist, authored notable works including the Broadway hit Purlie Victorious (1961), the play Paul Robeson: All-American, and children's books like Escape to Freedom, which earned the Coretta Scott King Award in 1979. He received a Writers Guild of America Award for For Us, The Living: The Medgar Evers Story (1984), a Grammy for the audiobook With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together (2007, with Ruby Dee), the National Medal of Arts (1995), and Kennedy Center Honors (2004), among other honors for his contributions to theater and literature. His writing often featured satirical farces addressing racial themes and civil rights. OssieandRuby.com