Cicely Tyson is a former model turned award-winning actress famous for playing the characters of strong African American women. After playing a few minor roles in the past, Ms. Tyson heralded herself into the Hollywood mainstream with her critically acclaimed performance in ‘Sounder’ (1972).
The 1977 Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame inductee is also known for roles in such films and series as ‘The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman’ (1974), ‘Diary of an Angry Black Woman’ (2005) and ‘The Help’ (2011).
Biography (Age)
Mrs. Tyson was born Cicely L. Tyson to Frederica and William Augustine Tyson, who immigrated from Nevis in the West Indies on December 19, 1924, in Harlem, New York, where she was also raised. Her mother was a domestic servant while her father worked as a handyman, doing whatever he could find, including carpentry and painting.
After completing an apprenticeship, Tyson landed a job as a minimum-wage typist, which she planned to quit when she was 18. Her decision to quit the job came after being encouraged into modeling by an Ebony Magazine photographer who had seen her. At that time, she also had hopes of becoming an actress, although her mother had forbidden her to watch plays or films. After her decision to act, Tyson was kicked out of the family home and left to fend for herself for a while.
Tyson became a popular model before laterlanded her first acting role in the series “Frontiers of Faith” (1951). Appearances in a number of films, series and plays followed before she was cast as one of the main characters in ‘East Side / West Side’ (1963-64).
In 1972, Cicely Tyson received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of Rebecca Morgan in Sounders. Her performance increased her reputation in the film industry and made her one of the best actresses of the time. She now had the luxury of selecting the best scripts for her performance, and two years later, in 1974, she won two Emmy Awards for her performance in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.
Despite the luxury of handpicking roles, Tyson has found it difficult to find roles that don’t exploit black people in terms of stereotypes. This affected the work she did in the 1980s, but earned her some recognition. She received the 1982 Women in Film Crystal Award for her role in expanding the role of women in the film industry. In 1988, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women presented her with the Candace Award for Distinguished Service.
She went on to make other critically acclaimed performances in King (1978), The Marva Collins Story (1981), Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story (1986), When Noone Would Listened (1992) and then in The Oldest Living Confederate ‘Widow Tells All’ (1994), which earned her a third Emmy Award.
Recently, Cicely Tyson has appeared in ‘Why Did I Get Married Too?’ (2010) and “The Help” (2011), which won several awards. In 2013, she returned to Broadway after a three-decade absence, playing Miss Carrie Watts in The Trip to Bountiful. Her performance earned her a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. She also played an Emmy Award-nominated guest actress in ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ (2014).
In 2016, President Barack Obama presented her with the highest civilian honor in the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Cicely Tyson Net Worth (Income and Earnings)
There are conflicting reports on Cicely Tyson’s actual net worth, which is estimated to be between $10 million and $20 million. This has enabled her to live a lifestyle she could only dream of being born to immigrant parents who did whatever it took to survive.
Family – children, daughter
Cicely Tyson has lived a very private life with very little being known about the inner workings of their relationship. However, it is known that Ms. Tyson, who was married to jazz trumpeter Miles Davis from November 1981 to 1988, has no biological or even adopted children.
Some publications have reported that actress Kimberly Elise, who played Tyson’s daughter in “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” is in fact her child, but that’s not true. Your only connection is from the movie.
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