Prince William
Famous Astronauts
Nelson Mandela
Kanye West
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Liberace
Leonardo DiCaprio
Annie Oakley
I Survived
Quick Facts
- NAME: Cicely Tyson
- OCCUPATION: Film Actress, Theater Actress, Television Actress
- BIRTH DATE: December 19, 1924 (Age: 88)
- PLACE OF BIRTH: New York, New York
- AKA: Cicely L. Tyson
- AKA: Cicely Tyson
- ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius
Best Known For
Cicely Tyson is an award-winning film, television and stage actress. She is known for choosing quality roles that send positive messages to women of color.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowCicely Tyson. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:00, Jun 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/cicely-tyson-9512950.
Cicely Tyson. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/cicely-tyson-9512950 [Accessed 18 Jun 2013].
"Cicely Tyson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 18 2013, 08:00 http://www.biography.com/people/cicely-tyson-9512950.
"Cicely Tyson," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/cicely-tyson-9512950 [accessed Jun 18, 2013].
"Cicely Tyson," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/cicely-tyson-9512950 (accessed Jun 18, 2013).
Cicely Tyson [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/cicely-tyson-9512950.
Cicely Tyson, http://www.biography.com/people/cicely-tyson-9512950 (last visited Jun 18, 2013).
Cicely Tyson. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/cicely-tyson-9512950. Accessed Jun 18, 2013.
Synopsis
Cicely Tyson was born in New York City on December 19, 1924 (though some say 1933 and most say it's unsure). While building her acting career, Tyson took a stand about the quality and depth of the roles she would accept. Though this meant she sometimes didn't work, Tyson still became a successful actress. She has won accolades and awards for her performances on TV, on the stage and in film, with credits including Sounder, Roots,
Quotes
"I feel so guilty about the state of young people today. And I say that because our generation fought for everything. We fought to sit down at a counter, to sit on a bus. They were left with nothing to fight for."
"I found, as I began to climb up the ladder and my demands were greater—more money, billing, better roles—the opportunities became few and far between."
"Now I am perfectly willing to just enjoy my career by choosing roles simply because I consider them to be a challenge, and doing the best possible job I can."
"I used my career as a platform to make a statement."
"My gratification in working comes from the preparation and the building of the character."
"Unless a piece really said something, I had no interest in it. I have got to know that I have served some purpose here.''
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and The Help. Tyson has won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, among other honors, over the course of her acting career. She was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977.
Early Life
Cicely Tyson was born in New York City on December 19, 1924 (though some say that she was born in 1933, with most citing uncertainty surrounding her birth year). Protective of her privacy, Tyson has never confirmed the date.
Tyson grew up in Harlem, New York. At the age of 18, she walked away from a typing job and began modeling. Tyson was then drawn to acting, though she had not been permitted to go to plays or movies as a child. When she got her first acting job, her religious mother, feeling that Tyson was choosing a sinful path, kicked her out of their home.
Acting Success
Despite her mother's initial disapproval (the two didn't speak for two years before reconciling), Tyson found success as an actress, appearing onstage, in movies and on TV.
Tyson was nominated for an Academy Award for 1972's Sounder. She also portrayed notable roles on television, including Kunta Kinte's mother in the adaptation of Alex Haley's Roots and the title role in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, which earned Tyson an Emmy Award in 1974. Moving to Broadway in 1983, Tyson was the lead in The Corn Is Green, a play set in a Welsh mining town.
However, Tyson's career trajectory wasn't a smooth one; at times, she had trouble simply finding work. She flatly refused to do "blaxploitation" films, or to take parts solely for the paycheck, and was selective about the roles she chose. As she explained in a 1983 interview, "Unless a piece really said something, I had no interest in it. I have got to know that I have served some purpose here.''
More recently, Tyson appeared in The Help (2011) and in several Tyler Perry movies. And after a 30-year absence from Broadway, Tyson returned with a role in Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful. The actress traveled to Texas in an effort to better understand her part in the acclaimed production—dedication that paid off when her performance won Tyson the 2013 Tony Award for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play.
Personal Life
Through the years, Tyson has kept much of her personal life—including her birth year—under wraps. One known personal detail is that Tyson was married to Miles Davis for seven years in the 1980s.
Though other information about her life is scant, Tyson has a well-known commitment to community involvement.
profile name: Cicely Tyson profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
People Who Played Scrooge
View groupPublished more than 150 years ago, Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol remains one of the most treasured Christmas stories. Its central character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is so miserly that his name has become synonymous with stinginess and a lack of Christmas spirit. Explore our group of actors who have played the notorious penny-pincher, from Alastair Sim to Albert Finney, Michael Caine and Buddy Hackett.
People Who Played Scrooge 19 people in this group
presented by People Who Played Scrooge -
Soul Train Guests 110 people in this group
presented by Soul Train Guests -
African-American Firsts: Film & TV
View groupFrom stereotypical roles as maids and cooks to Academy Award-winning performances in blockbuster movies, African-Americans have come a long way in the world of film and TV. Early stars like Sidney Portier and Hattie McDaniel may have been the first actors to win awards for their stellar performances, but modern-day actors such as Denzel Washington and Halle Berry are still breaking new ground as the first African-Americans to win Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes in certain categories. Learn about the African-American actors who became the first to change the fabric film and TV with their dramatic performances.
African-American Firsts: Film & TV 18 people in this group
presented by African-American Firsts: Film & TV
