Ruby Dee

Among the pleasures of seeing an August Wilson play, it's often said, is just listening to the people talk. As Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty has noted, Wilson stocks his scripts with "natural raconteurs" and lets them soar in...

"God built me to last," Jackie Robinson says at one point in "42," and, thankfully, his remarkable story is built the same way. It would have to be to survive the full-dress Hollywood biopic treatment it gets in this film, which is unabashedly subtitled...

Over the decades, films about legendary baseball players have sometimes knocked it out of the park (1942's "The Pride of the Yankees" about Lou Gehrig) or struck out (1948's "The Babe Ruth Story.") The latest baseball biopic to step up to the plate is...

Angela Bassett is Hollywood’s go-to actress for critically heralded performances as women with steely backbones and tender hearts — most notably American history-makers Rosa Parks, Tina Turner and Dr. Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X. But...

Jubilant Sykes has sung classical and spiritual music at the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, London's Barbican Centre and the Hollywood Bowl. But Hartford Stage is a decidedly different venue for a veteran of...

The king of rock ‘n' roll is back to take care of some unfinished business. “Bubba Ho-Tep,” Don Coscarelli's quirky ......

Here are some of the notable new and returning TV specials, documentaries and movies airing in celebration of Black History Month 2013. All times are Eastern. Programming is subject to change; check back regularly for additions and updates. American...

Deborah Raffin, a film actress, veteran of television miniseries and entrepreneur whose company, Dove Books-on-Tape, became a major force in the audio book industry, died Wednesday of leukemia at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. She was 59. She...

You can't help but feel the maternal touch of Phylicia Rashad. She exudes warmth, calm and centeredness that brings to mind ideal qualities of a mom. Her voice is honeyed and clear, her answers are specific and instructional, and when she says, "Oh,...

Eddie Murphy has had decidedly mixed movie fortunes of late, and this attempted comedy - which sat on the shelf for a few years - didn't help. It's the story of a fast-talking literary agent who gets a gift from a self-styled guru (Cliff Curtis): a...

On Sunday, the two-part miniseries “Bag of Bones” premieres on A&E, the latest in a very long line of efforts to bring Stephen King’s unique vision to TV. Mick Garris, the director and King's most established TV collaborator, discusses...

Here are some notable new and returning television programs profiling memorable people, themes and events in African-American history, in celebration of February's Black History Month. Programs and times are subject to change; check back throughout the...