Born as Ruby Ann Wallace on the 27th October 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio USA, she was one of the most prolific persons in the entertainment industry, winning numerous awards for her work, including Grammy, Emmy, Obie and Drama Desk awards. Some of her most notable appearances include in such films as “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961), “Do the Right Thing” (1989), and “American Gangster” (2007). Her career started in 1940 and ended in 2013. She passed away in June 2014.
Have you ever wondered how rich Ruby Dee was at the time of her death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Ruby Dee’s net worth was as high as $2.5 million, earned through her successful career in the entertainment industry. Apart from appearing on screen, Ruby’s net worth improved from her work in theatre, appearing in more than 30 plays, including “Jeb” (1946), “Arsenic and Old Lace” (1946), “The World of Sholom Aleichem” (1953), “The Glass Menagerie” (1989), and many others.
Ruby Dee Net Worth $2.5 Million
Ruby was the daughter of Gladys and Marshall Edward Nathaniel Wallace. Her mother left the family and her father remarried. She grew up in Harlem, New York, and went to Hunter College High School. Following matriculation, Ruby enrolled at Hunter College, and earned a degree in Romance languages.
Ruby then became a part of the American Negro Theater, learning under Sidney Poitier, Hilda Simms and Harry Belafonte. Her first appearance was in “On Strivers Row” (1940), and since then, made more than 30 appearances on stage, and received Drama Desk Award and also Obie Award for “Boseman and Lena” (1970). She featured in such plays as “King Lear” (1965), “The Taming of the Shrew” (1965), “Hamlet” (1975), “A Last Dance for Sybil” (2002), and “Saint Lucy’s Eyes” (2003).
Ruby;s career on screen began in the mid-1940s in the film “The Man of Mine” (1946), and continued with roles in “The First Year” (1946), “What a Guy” (1948), and “The Fight Never Ends” (1949). She came to prominence with the role of Rae Robinson in the biographical drama “The Jackie Robinson Story” (1950), and then spent the ‘50s building a name for herself playing parts in such productions as “The Tall Target” (1951), “Go Man Go” (1954), “Edge of the City” (1957) and the Golden Globe Award-nominated “Take a Giant Step” (1959), next to Johnny Nash and Estelle Hemsley. Her net worth rose steadily
She started the ‘60s with one of her most successful roles, as Ruth Younger in the Golden Globe Award-nominated drama “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961), with Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil. Two years later she had a role in the Oscar-nominated drama “The Balcony”, starring Shelley Winters and Peter Falk. Before the decade ended, she appeared in “The Incident” (1967), “Uptight” (1968), and the TV series “Peyton Place” (1968-1969).
During the ‘70s her career stagnated for a while, but still she managed to land several notable roles, including in such films as “It’s Good to Be Alive” (1974), “Cool Red” (1976), and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, based on the Maya Angelou book. All stayed the same in the ‘80s; Ruby featured in such titles as “Cat People”, then “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1982), which won her an ACE Award in the category Actress in a Dramatic Presentation, then “Do the Right Thing” (1989), for which she received an Image Award in category Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture.
She entered into ‘90s with a role in another biography about baseball star Jackie Robinson, entitled “The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson” (1990), then the highly praised Robert Markowitz’s drama “Decoration Day” (1990), next to James Garner and Judith Ivey, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special. After that, she appeared in Spike Lee’s romantic drama “Jungle Fever”, with Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra and Halle Berry. Five years later she featured in the film “Captive Heart: The James Mink Story”, and then starred in Michael Ritchie’s “A Simple Wish” (1997), finishing the decade with a role in the Steve James’ Passing Glory” (1999). Her age didn’t stop her from performing, and she stayed active during 2000s, beginning with roles in television films such as “A Storm in Summer” (2000), “Finding Buck McHenry” (2000), and Peter Medak’s Primetime Emmy Award- winning romantic drama “Feast of All Saints” (2001).
In 2006 she had the lead role in “Naming Number Two”, for which she won several awards in festivals, and then in 2007 she appeared in Ridley Scott’s biographical drama “American Gangster”, next to Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe and Chiwetel Ejiofor, for which she received an Oscar nomination and SAG Award in the category Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, among other awards, making it one of her most successful accomplishments. Before she retired from acting in 2013, Ruby also featured in such films as “Red & Blue Marbles” (2011), “Video Girl” (2011), and “1982” (2013). Her last role was in the film “King Dong”, however, the film hasn’t yet been released, although it is completed.
Ruby will also be remembered as a civil rights activist; she was a part of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), then NAACP and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and many other organizations. Thanks to her contribution to community life, Ruby received the Lifetime Achievement Freedom Award, while she is also a part of the Westchester County Women’s Hall of Fame.
Regarding her personal life, Ruby married twice – her first husband was to Frankie Dee Brown; from 1941 until 1945. Three years later, she married actor, writer and director Ossie Davis, with whom she was married until his death in 2005. The couple had three children. Ruby Dee died at her home on the 11th June 2014 in New Rochelle, New York US from natural causes, aged 91. Her posthumous remains were created, and her ashes and the ones of her husband are held in the same urn, on which is written “In this thing together”.
