1. Cecily Louise "Cicely" Tyson was an American actress.
58 Facts About Cicely Tyson
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Cicely Tyson received several awards including three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award.
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Cicely Tyson was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2018.
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Cicely Tyson acted in films such as A Man Called Adam, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, The River Niger, Fried Green Tomatoes, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Help and Last Flag Flying.
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Cicely Tyson won two Primetime Emmy Awards, her first for Best Lead Actress in a Drama for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, and her second for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.
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Cicely Tyson was Emmy-nominated for her roles in Roots, King, Sweet Justice, A Lesson Before Dying, The Trip to Bountiful and How to Get Away With Murder.
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Cicely Tyson made her debut in the Lonnie Coleman play Jolly's Progress, followed by Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright, Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights and The Corn Is Green.
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Cicely Tyson made her final Broadway appearance starring in the revival of The Gin Game, opposite James Earl Jones.
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Cicely Tyson was born on December 19,1924, in the Bronx, New York City, but soon relocated with her family to East Harlem.
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Cicely Tyson's parents were immigrants from Nevis in the West Indies.
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Cicely Tyson's father arrived in New York City at age 21 and was processed at Ellis Island on August 4,1919.
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Cicely Tyson sang in the choir and attended prayer meetings at an Episcopal church in East Harlem.
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Cicely Tyson's mother was opposed to her becoming an actress and would not speak to her for a time.
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Cicely Tyson changed her mind when she saw Cicely appear on stage.
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Cicely Tyson was discovered by a photographer for Ebony magazine and became a successful fashion model.
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Cicely Tyson's first acting role was a bit part in the 1956 film Carib Gold and she first appeared onstage in Vinnette Carroll's production of Dark of the Moon at the Harlem YMCA in 1958.
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In 1963, Cicely Tyson appeared on the game show To Tell The Truth as an "imposter" for Australian singer Shirley Abicair, receiving two of the four possible votes.
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Cicely Tyson was at the time the only African-American regular member of a TV cast, The show was noted for its treatment of social issues, and one of its episodes, on an African-American couple in Harlem, was blacked out in Atlanta and Shreveport, Louisiana.
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In 1968 Cicely Tyson had a featured role in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
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In 1972, Cicely Tyson played the role of Rebecca Morgan in the film Sounder.
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Cicely Tyson was nominated for both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her work in Sounder, and won the NSFC Best Actress and NBR Best Actress Awards.
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In 1974, Cicely Tyson played the title role in the CBS television film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.
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Cicely Tyson was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in this television film.
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Nikki Giovanni of The New York Times wrote of her performance, "If Cicely Tyson isn't one of the best actresses on screen, then "grits ain't groceries, eggs ain't poultry, and Mona Lisa was a man," adding, "Miss Tyson never stepped out of character.
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Miss Cicely Tyson's performance was the reason awards were first invented.
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Cicely Tyson was the first black woman to host Saturday Night Live.
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Cicely Tyson's episode featured the musical guest Talking Heads and aired on February 10,1979.
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In 1989, Cicely Tyson appeared in the television miniseries The Women of Brewster Place.
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In 1991, Cicely Tyson appeared in Fried Green Tomatoes as Sipsey.
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In 2011, Cicely Tyson appeared in her first music video in Willow Smith's 21st Century Girl.
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At the 67th Tony Awards, on June 9,2013, Cicely Tyson won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Miss Carrie Watts in the Broadway revival of the Horton Foote play The Trip to Bountiful.
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Cicely Tyson won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for the role.
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In 2013, Cicely Tyson played a supporting role in the horror film The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia.
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At the age of 18, Cicely Tyson married Kenneth Franklin on December 27,1942.
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Cicely Tyson was in a relationship with her Sounder co-star Paul Winfield, living with him for about 18 months in the early 1970s.
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Cicely Tyson began dating jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in the 1960s when he was in the process of divorcing dancer Frances Davis.
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Davis credited Cicely Tyson with saving his life and helping him overcome his cocaine addiction.
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Cicely Tyson was godmother to the singer Lenny Kravitz, having been friends with his mother, actress Roxie Roker, as well as to Denzel Washington's daughter Katia and Tyler Perry's son Aman.
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Cicely Tyson was an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
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Cicely Tyson was a member of the Abyssinian Baptist Church of New York.
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Cicely Tyson was a first cousin of Louis Farrakhan, a longtime leader of the Nation of Islam.
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Cicely Tyson was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery with former husband Miles Davis.
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Cicely Tyson is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Honorary Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award.
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Cicely Tyson won three Primetime Emmy Awards for her work in television winning for, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.
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Cicely Tyson won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play her performance in The Trip to Bountiful in 2014.
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In 1977, Cicely Tyson was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
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In 1982, Cicely Tyson was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.
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In 1988, Cicely Tyson received a Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.
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In 2005, Cicely Tyson was honored at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball.
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Cicely Tyson was honored by the Congress of Racial Equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the National Council of Negro Women.
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Cicely Tyson was awarded the NAACP's 2010 Spingarn Medal for her contribution to the entertainment industry, her modeling career, and her support of civil rights.
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Cicely Tyson was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015.
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Cicely Tyson was awarded the United States' highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama in November 2016.
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In September 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Cicely Tyson would receive an Academy Honorary Award.
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On November 18,2018, Cicely Tyson became the first African-American woman to receive an honorary Oscar.
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In 2018, Cicely Tyson was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
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Cicely Tyson was chosen to be inducted into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame in 2020.
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Cicely Tyson received honorary degrees from Clark Atlanta University, Columbia University; Howard University; and Morehouse College, an all-male historically black college.