Talented TV and Movie Actress for over Three Decades
Cicely Tyson is one of America’s most respected dramatic actresses. She was born in 1933 in Harlem, New York to parents who immigrated to the United States from the West Indies.
Modeling Career
She began her career as a model. A fashion editor at Ebony magazine discovered her and she quickly became one of the top African-American models in the United States.
Cicely Tyson appeared on the covers of many Black American publications and some mainstream magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. However, she wasn’t completely happy with her modeling career. When asked by a Time magazine reporter about it, Tyson stated, “I felt like a machine.”
Stage, Television Series and Soap Opera
Cicely Tyson decided to pursue an acting career after she was asked to participate in a movie named The Spectrum that was never released. She enjoyed acting and decided to enroll in acting school. While learning her craft, she also began performing in Off-Broadway stage productions.
While Cicely Tyson was performing in the Off-Broadway production of The Blacks, actor George C. Scott discovered her. He admired her work and asked Tyson to play a continuing role in his television series East Side/West Side. This made Cicely Tyson one of the few Black American faces to be seen regularly on television in the 1960s.
Her success led to more television roles. She became a frequent guest star on numerous 1960s and 1970s television programs such as I Spy, Naked City, The Nurses and The Bill Cosby Show.
During 1966, Cicely Tyson also had a reoccurring role in the daytime soap opera. The Guiding Light. Her character’s name was Martha Frazier.
Refused to Do Blaxploitation Films
Cicely Tyson’s first major movie screen credit was for the 1966 film, A Man Called Adam. She played the love interest of Sammy Davis Jr.
She continued to perform in other films, but when the 1970s blaxploitation film era began, Tyson turned down roles. According to a People magazine interview, Tyson said that “she would rather be unemployed than act in blaxploitation films.”
 Breakthrough Performance in Sounder
Cicely Tyson became a star for her critically-acclaimed performance in the 1972 film "Sounder". Her outstanding acting earned her many honors including a Best Actress Academy Award nomination.
Moreover, her portrayal of a strong Black woman in "Sounder" went against the common stereotypes of African-American women in films of that time.
Cicely Tyson is quoted as saying that “One lady told me that before she saw Sounder, she didn’t believe black people could love each other, have deep relationships in the same way as white people.”
 First African-American Woman to Win an Emmy Award
Cicely Tyson followed up her stellar performance in Sounder with another highly-acclaimed role in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. The film follows the life of a 110 year old woman over a 90 year period – from her childhood in slavery to her old age during the Civil Rights Moviement.
For her compelling performance, Cicely Tyson won two Emmy Awards – Best Actress and Actress of the Year. She became the first African-American actress to win the Best Actress Emmy Award.
Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts
Because of her enormous contributions to performing arts, the East Orange School District in New Jersey decided to name its new performing arts school after Cicely Tyson.
The Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts is an East Orange, New Jersey public high school that currently has over 650 students enrolled.
Continues High Standards for Roles
Cicely Tyson continues to act, but will only accept roles that continue to meet her high standards for positive portrayals of African-American women.
She has won a record twelve National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image awards and has been honored by many other African-American organizations for her tremendous acting talent and contributions to the African-American community.
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