Remembering the Legendary and Pioneering Actress, Cicely Tyson
BY ANUSKA DHAR
Actress and model, Cicely Tyson, died at the age of 96 on Thursday, Jan. 28. Her distinguished career spans over 7 decades on both the stage and screen.
Tyson was born in East Harlem to immigrant parents from the Caribbean. Her father was a carpenter and her mother a housekeeper. Tyson recalls her childhood revolving around church which built her foundation. Later, while working as a secretary for the American Red Cross, Tyson was scouted for modeling during her lunch break, which she would often spend at the New York department store, Lord and Taylor. Shortly after, she fell into acting and started classes, recognizing she had a lot to learn about this new interest of hers.
She started her acting career on the stage in both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, and later became a founding member of the Dance Theater in Harlem. She starred in acclaimed films such as “Sounder,” (1972) and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” (1974) for which she won a special Primetime Emmy Award for Actress of the Year. She went on to be nominated and win many more awards including a Tony Award, an Honorary Oscar, and a Peabody Career Achievement Award.
As her career burgeoned in the 1960s during the height of the civil rights movement, she was conscious of the roles she played forgoing those she thought were demeaning to Black women. As a model she sported an Afro hairstyle, inspiring other Black women to also wear their natural hair. She performed in all-Black casts on stage and was active in charity and arts organizations, later receiving awards from the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women.
Her career in television was equally illustrious, as she appeared in everything from the socially conscious TV series, “East Side/West Side,” (1963-1964) to the animated children’s show, “The Proud Family” (2001-2005). She inspired a new generation of actors, like Viola Davis, who remembered first watching her perform as a child. The two later collaborated in the hit drama, “How to Get Away with Murder” (2014-2020), where she played Davis’s mother.
In one of her last interviews, Cicely Tyson, spoke about her memoir, “Just As I Am,” published just two days prior to her death. After being asked about what advice she would give to young artists, she said, “Just stick with it. Just stick with it. There's a reason why. There's always a reason why you keep going in the direction you chose to go in” (NPR).
Sources:
NPR Morning Edition, “Legendary Stage And Screen Actress Cicely Tyson Has Died At 96” and “Remembering Hollywood Icon Cicely Tyson”
NPR segment, “Remembering Actor Cicely Tyson”
Variety Article, “Cicely Tyson, Pioneering Hollywood Icon, Dies at 96”