Last Updated on September 13, 2024
Who is Cicely Tyson?
Cicely Tyson was an American fashion model and actress. Tyson was widely recognized for her role as Rebecca Morgan in Sounder (1972). She was nominated for Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for her work in the film.
Tyson portrayed the title role in the 1974 television film, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, which won her a nomination for a BAFTA Award and two Emmy Awards.
She played the recurring role of Ophelia Harkness in How to Get Away With Murder, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award (Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Category) and an Oscar nomination.
Cicely received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997 and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2015. Additionally, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2016 by President Barack Obama, and she won an Honorary Academy Award in 2018.
In 2020, Tyson starred in the famous movie “A Fall From Grace” featured on Netflix. That same year, she received a Career Achievement Peabody Award and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Cicely was also an author. She released her first book, entitled Just as I Am: A Memoir, in January 2021, a few days before she died.
Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Cicely Louise Tyson |
| Popular Name: | Cicely Tyson |
| Gender: | Female |
| Birth Date: | December 19, 1924 – January 28, 2021 |
| Age: | 96 years |
| Parents: | Frederica Tyson, William Augustine Tyson |
| Siblings: | Melrose Emmanuel Tyson, Emily Henry |
| Birth Place: | Harlem, New York, USA |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | African-American |
| Education: | N/A |
| Marital Status: | Kenneth Franklin (m. 1942; div. 1956), Miles Davis (m. 1981; div. 1988) |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
| Children: | Joan Tyson |
| Dating: | N/A |
| Net Worth: | $10 Million |
| Source of Wealth: | Acting |
| Height: | 5ft3 (1.6m) |
| Weight: | 57kg (126lbs) |
Early Life and Career Information
On December 19, 1924, Cicely Tyson was born in Harlem, New York, USA, to Frederica and William Augustine. Her mother, Frederica was a domestic whereas her father worked as a carpenter, artist, and various other jobs which he could lay his hands on.
Tyson had a religious upbringing. She attended church meetings at an Episcopal church in East Harlem and sang in the choir.
She initially went into modeling and then branched out into Hollywood in the early 1950s. She debuted in the 1956 film Carib Gold and the TV series Frontiers of Faith in 1961, followed by other minor parts in The Blacks (1959), The Doctors and the Nurses (1962), Naked City (1963), Guiding Light (1966), A man called Adam (1966), and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968).
In 1962, she won the Drama Desk Award for her performance in “Moon on a Rainbow Shawl.” Cecily starred in the 1994 TV Series Sweet Justice and other movies such as Wilma, The Blue Bird, Roots, Bridge of Time, King, Playing with Fire, Intimate Encounters, and 2006’s Madea Family Reunion.
Tyson’s other acting roles include appearances in The Help (2011), Alex Cross (2012), The Trip to Bountiful (2014), Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), Madam Secretary (2019), and Cherish the Day (2020). Her appearance in The Trip to Bountiful won her several awards, including the Outer Critics Award and a Tony award.
In 2009, the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts, a magnet school in East Orange, New Jersey, was named after her. Tyson received a total of nine Primetime Emmy Awards nominations during her illustrious acting career.
Cicely Tyson’s Net Worth
She made a fortune from her acting and modeling career. Tyson’s highest-grossing film was The Help, with worldwide box-office earnings of $213.1 Million.
Tyson’s other high-grossing films were Fried Green Tomatoes ($81.2 Million), Madea’s Family Reunion ($63.3 Million), Why Did I Get Married Too? ($60.8 Million), and Diary of a Mad Black Woman ($50.4 Million).
At the time of her death, she had an estimated net worth of $10 million.
Lessons Learnt from the Life of Cicely Tyson
Parents Should Be More Supportive.
“When I told my mother that I wanted to be an actress, she said, you cannot live here and do that, so I moved out. I was determined to prove her wrong because she was sure I would go astray. And that’s what kept me going” ~Cicely Tyson
Tyson’s mother, Frederica, was not on speaking terms with Cicely for a while because she was opposed to her daughter becoming an actress. She changed her mind a few years later when she saw Cicely appear on stage. Despite her mother’s initial lack of support for her chosen career, she went on to pursue her dream and eventually excelled at it.
Parents are not always correct in making career decisions for their children and would not always be able to influence their children’s career choices. They should, however, be supportive and establish ways to help them scale obstacles in their chosen fields.
Never Stop Achieving Great Things.
“When you begin to see yourself as having achieved a lot, there is nothing left for you to work towards. I believe that there is a mountain so high, and I will spend my entire life striving to reach its top.” ~Cicely Tyson
On November 18, 2018, Cicely Tyson became the first African-American woman to receive an honorary Oscar. She earned nearly 100 acting credits throughout her acting career, three Primetime Emmy Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, one Tony and an honorary Academy Award, and four Black Reel Awards.
In 1980, she was awarded the Golden Plate Award by the American Academy of Achievement. Two years later, she received the Women in Film Crystal Award. Owing to her achievements, Tyson changed the outlook of African-American women in Hollywood.
