Dee, a long-time New Rochelle resident, turns 89 on Sunday. The actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and activist was born Oct. 27, 1924, in Cleveland, Ohio.
She is best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun (1961). She has won Grammy, Emmy, Obie, Drama Desk, Screen Actors Guild Award and Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement awards. She is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors, among scores of others awards.
In 2003, Dee narrated a series of WPA slave narratives in the HBO film Unchained Memories. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2007 for her portrayal of Mama Lucas in American Gangster. She won the Screen Actors Guild award for the same performance.
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