Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson married legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis on November 26, 1981. The two parted ways in 1988.

She co-founded the Dance Theater of Harlem. To commemorate her contribution to the field of entertainment, a magnet school in East Orange, New Jersey, was renamed the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts in her honor. She actively contributes to the school activities.

Cicely Tyson was born on December 18, 1924 in Harlem, New York City, US to immigrants, Frederica Tyson and William Augustine Tyson. While her mother served as a domestic help, her father worked as a carpenter and painter.

As a teenager, Cicely Tyson took up a typing job to make ends meet. However, destined for the world of glamour, she soon caught the eye of a photographer of ‘Ebony’ magazine who offered her a career in modelling. Grabbing the opportunity, she turned to professional modelling.

Tyson’s stunning looks and charismatic personality helped her quickly rise to the top of the modelling industry. Though Tyson was happy with how her career was shaping, her religious mother was displeased with her profession. When Tyson was offered her first acting job for a television series, this displeased her mother all the more who felt that Tyson was choosing a sinful path. Consequently, she kicked her out of home.

Cicely Tyson’s first acting project was a small role in a play in 1950. The following year, she grabbed a minor role in the NBC series, ‘Frontiers of Faith’. Tyson’s first film role came with the 1956 flick, ‘Carib Gold’.

In 1961, she appeared in the original cast of French playwright Jean Genet's ‘The Blacks’. The show was a major hit and went on to become the longest running off-Broadway non-musical of the decade, running for 1,408 performances.

After a couple of guest appearances in television, she earned a major role in the celebrated television series, ‘East Side/West Side’ in 1963. She featured in 26 episodes of the much loved and admired television series.

The magnum opus of Cicely Tyson’s career came in 1972 when she essayed the role of Rebecca Morgan in the film, ‘Sounder’. The film received massive acclaim and appreciation. Her brilliant acting and outstanding performance helped bag numerous awards including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

While ‘Sounder’ had established Tyson’s reputation as a talented actress, it was the television series, ‘The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman’ that made her a household name. Her top notch acting sills earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards and a nomination at the BAFTA.