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RIP: Ossie Davis

By TChris, Section Off Topic
Posted on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 08:48:50 AM EST
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by TChris

Actor Ossie Davis, who frequently played key roles in projects that depicted racial injustice -- including Roots and Do the Right Thing -- died Friday at the age of 87. A Kennedy Center honoree, Davis was active throughout his life in the struggle to achieve social justice and racial equality. Read more about his achievements here and here and here.

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    • RIP: Ossie Davis | 14 comments (14 topical)
    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 09:46:44 AM EST
    The thing that always struck me about OT was how amazing an orator he was. His voice was resonant and just hard to stop listening to. -C

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 10:02:14 AM EST
    I always figured it was an act of homage that Spike Lee wanted to have Ossie play the mayor in Do the Right Thing. Ossie and Spike's character interacted in the movie with the mayor stopping Spike for a bit of advice - do the right thing. Spike's character said, ok, I got it, I'm gone. There is the whole movie. Two important black men of different generations passing on the wisdom. Rest in peace, Ossie.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 10:07:40 AM EST
    Deuce, Ossie Davis and Ruby Lee lived about a mile from my home when I was growing up, on a fairly well-traveled boulevard. Every time someone from out of town came to visit and we drove down that boulevard, we would proudly point out their home and that they were residents of our city. I agree, the Hill was a very forceful movie.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 10:22:56 AM EST
    Please, TL: it's Ossie Davis, not Ozzie. Let's not get him confused with that bat-chewing Osborne chap. Ossie Davis was fine actor and one of his best performances was in a British movie few people saw: The Hill, with Sean Connery, directed by Sidney Lumet. [Ed. TChris has fixed the spelling]

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 10:24:56 AM EST
    Sad, Great guy.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#7)
    by kdog on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 11:04:29 AM EST
    A great actor, and more importantly, a great citizen. He will be missed.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#8)
    by Dadler on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 11:53:52 AM EST
    i will never forget the scene in "jungle fever" (an underrated flick) where, as the old preacher, he shoots his crackhead son (samuel l. jackson). ruby dee cries over the dead body of her son as Ossie quotes the scriptures, "...oh, whither shall i go?" one of the most powerful scenes in any movie. a great american who will be greatly missed. thankfully his presence remains in his acting work and legacy as a social activist. peace, my friend.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 03:05:45 PM EST
    Here is an another obituary outlining his activism. Also, it mentions that Ruby Dee was making a movie in New Zealand at the time Ossie died, she is on her way back.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 06:34:36 PM EST
    An immense talent and a pillar in our society. If you have not read his eulogy of Malcolm X (or seen it's recreation in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X") you have missed one of the best tributes an American has bestowed upon another American, or friend upon friend. I hope that this illumination of his person is an inspiration to us all.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#10)
    by cp on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 06:42:42 PM EST
    outstanding actor and a great example of what a responsible citizen should be. his like is slowly dying, hollywood and the country will be the poorer for it.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#11)
    by jimcee on Sat Feb 05, 2005 at 07:32:58 PM EST
    A dignified man in a tough world. He will be sorely missed in our time of the Sharpton/Jackson nonsense. He was not only a great actor but a class act and a great spokesman for civil rights. If only there was his dignity in the mainstream civil rights movement today. Ossie Davis, RIP and we'll miss your class.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#12)
    by scarshapedstar on Sun Feb 06, 2005 at 03:06:43 AM EST
    Man, this really makes me sad. I loved this guy. I saw him in an interview the other day talking about his experiences in the civil rights movement back in his youth, and it was fascinating. I'm beginning to think there's a conspiracy afoot. In recent years we've lost Barry White, Rick James, Ray Charles, even Wesley Willis...

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Feb 06, 2005 at 08:06:30 AM EST
    Posted by kdog at February 5, 2005 12:04 PM A great actor, and more importantly, a great citizen. He will be missed. can i second that.

    Re: RIP: Ossie Davis (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 10:30:03 AM EST
    I too was saddened to hear of Ossie's passing. Like most, I remember him best for his Malcolm X eulogy. But my favorite quote is the one that I'm teaching my 2 year old son... Every night we practice Ossie's lines "I find in being Black... a thing of beauty, a joy"... Never were truer words spoken.

    RIP: Ossie Davis | 14 comments (14 topical)