Cicely Tyson, an Iconic award-winning actress and trailblazer, has died at age 96.
The world mourns yet another Icon who brought tears, happiness laughter and lessons to our living room through her acting career spanning over Seventy Years. She is best known for her role in the 1972 family drama Sounder, for which she received an Academy Award nomination, She later went on to solidify her name as a Hollywood legend after earning three Emmy Awards, a SAG award, a Tony Award and an honorary Oscar.
So who is Cecily Tyson? Tyson was born in Harlem on December 19, 1924, to Mrs Fredericka (Huggins) Tyson, a domestic worker, and Mr. William Augustine Tyson, who worked as a carpenter, painter, and at any other jobs he could find. She was one of three children of the immigrants from Nevis in the West Indies.
At age 18, Tyson got married to Kenneth Franklin on December 27, 1942. They formerly dissolved their Marriage in 1956. She later married Jazz Trumpter Miles Davis in 1981 in Atlanta in the house of actor Bill Cosby. Davis and Tyson started dating in the 1960s as he was in the process of divorcing Frances Davis. He even used a photo of Tyson for his 1967 album, Sorcerer. This however did not happen as he married Frances in 1968. They rekindled their love later in 1978 n got married in 1981. The marriage was tamultous because of Davis' Temper, infidelity and addiction and she later filed for divorce in 1988. It was finalized in 1989. Davis Died in 1991.
Cecily Tyson had a daughter at the age of 17. Not much is known about her daughter, but she talks about her, she calls her “Joan,” in her memoir. The memoir was released on 26th january 2021 two days before she died.
Tyson started her career as a fashion model when a photographer from Ebony Magazine discovered her. Her first acting role was on the NBC series Frontiers of Faith in 1951. She played her first film role in Carib Gold in 1956 and became the first African American to star in a television drama when she starred in the celebrated series East Side/West Side (1963–1964). She also had a role in the soap opera The Guiding Light.
Her mother did not support her acting carreer in the begining and kicked her out of their house. She moved in with her friend who agreed to put her up. She would later changed her mother's mind In 1972, when she played the role of Rebecca Morgan in the critically acclaimed film Sounder. This was the first time she heard her mum say she was proud of her. During an interview with elle she said, her mom was her mentor and her source of energy, and she used that to prove her wrong.
Tyson's portrayal of the title role in the 1974 television film 'The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman' won her further praise among other accolades. The role won her two Emmy Awards and a nomination for a BAFTA Award for the best lead actress. She never looked back and her career blossomed.
Tyson's other roles included playing binta in the mini series "Roots" (1977), "The Marva Collins Story" (1981), "The Women of Brewster Place" (1989), and "The Help" (2011). She was also a guest star in the series "How to get away with murder.
Other notable film roles include the dramas Hoodlum (1997) and Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), and the television films 'Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All' (1994) (for which she received her third Emmy Award). She went on to star in so many film and Televison series the latest being a fall from grace featured on Netflix in 2020.
Cover page of Cecily Tyson's Memoir
Tyson released her Memoir 'Just As I AM' on 26th january 2021 just before she passed on. She dedicates this book to her daughter whom she seems to have not had a rosy relationship with. USA Today wrote; Tyson said, "My daughter and I ‘continue to work on our relationship, as fragile as it is precious," and she dedicates the book to her: ‘the one who has paid the greatest price for this gift to all.’”
"Just As I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. In these pages, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and mother, a sister, and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams. I am a woman who has hurt as immeasurably as I have loved, a child of God divinely guided by His hand. And here in my ninth decade, I am a woman who, at long last, has something meaningful to say.” -Cicely Tyson
Her proudest moment in life was In 2016, when she Took home the Presidential Medal of Freedom. While awarding Tyson the honor, President Barack Obama said, “In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only exceeded as an actor, she has shaped the course of history.”
JOE GROMELSKI/STARS AND STRIPES
Celebrating a life well lived. Rest in peace. Cecily Tyson
RIP .. Tyson
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