A Queen!! Legendary American actress and former model Cicely Tyson is well noted for her vivid portrayals of strong African American women.
In a career spanning more than seven decades, the veteran following her stellar performances has garnered prestigious awards such as:
Academy Award (2018)
Presidential Medal Of Freedom (2016)
Kennedy Center Honors (2015)
Tony Awards (2013)
Emmy Award
The former model kicked off her modeling career upon being discovered by a fashion editor at Ebony magazine, she quickly rose to top of the ranks.
In 1957 she began acting in Off-Broadway productions, and the following decade she appeared in several short-lived Broadway shows. Tyson’s journey on the small screen began when she won minor roles in a few feature films before portraying Portia in the 1968 film version of Carson McCullers’s The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
Because of her staunch commitment to presenting only positive images of black women, Tyson initially did not have steady work in film and television. Her next notable role was as Rebecca Morgan in the popular and critically acclaimed film Sounder (1972), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for best actress.
In 1974 she appeared in perhaps her best-known role, that of the title character in the television drama The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, adapted from the eponymous novel by Ernest J. Gaines. Her performance fetched Tyson two Emmy Awards.
Tyson’s additional feature film credits included Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Hoodlum (1997), The Help (2011), and several popular movies directed by Tyler Perry. In 2013 she returned to Broadway, after nearly 30 years, to play the lead in a revival of Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful; her performance earned her a Tony Award. She also starred in the 2014 television adaptation of the play. In 2015–16 she appeared in the Broadway production of The Gin Game and has started in many other features.
Tyson is releasing her memoir January 2021.
Happy Birthday Queen!!
