Cicely Tyson, the award-winning actress who began a career over several decades and appeared in countless TV shows, movies and plays on Broadway, died Thursday at the age of 96, according to her manager. Tyson’s role as a partner in “Sounder” earned her an Oscar nomination in 1973.
“With a heavy heart, Miss Cicely Tyson’s family announces their peaceful transition this afternoon,” Tyson’s family said in a statement from her manager. “At this time, please allow the family their privacy.”
Tyson, who came to the fore as a model, was well-known throughout the entertainment industry, winning two Emmy Awards – Best Leading Actress in a Drama and Best Actress in a Specialty – for her role as a former slave. in the 1974 TV drama “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” At a defining moment in the film, Pittman walks and drinks from the water fountain only for whites.
“Well, when I work, I tell everyone. I said, ‘I don’t care what you see. Please don’t tell me about it … because I work so organically,'” Tyson said. “So, the next day, when I came on set, I knew something had happened. And I simply said, “Please don’t tell me. I don’t want to know … ”and people were talking about walking I said,” What walking? “
Michael Ochs / Getty Images Archive
In 1994, she won the Emmy Supporting Actress for her role in “The Old Confederate Widow Says Everything” and a Tony Award in 2013 at the age of 88 for Best Leading Actress in “The Trip to Bountiful.” She starred opposite Vanessa Williams, who was inspired by Tyson’s work ethic, according to a 2015 interview.
“He never missed a show. … There’s no excuse for not showing up when Cicely Tyson can show up every day,” Williams said of Tyson at the time.
Tyson was among a group of 21 actors, musicians, athletes and innovators in 2016 who were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor – by former President Obama.
“In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only succeeded as an actor, but has shaped the entire course of history,” Obama told ETonline at the presentation. “Cicely has never been the most likely Hollywood star. The daughter of immigrants from the West Indies, she was raised by a hardworking and religious mother who cleaned the houses and forbade the children to participate in movies. But once he received his education and entered Cicely he made a conscious decision not only to say lines, but to speak. “
Also in 2016, Tyson was celebrated with a Kennedy Honor Center for his contributions to American culture, paving the way for African Americans in the industry.
In 2018, she was awarded an Oscar statuette at the Governors’ Awards, according to The Associated Press. “I come from low status. I grew up in an area that was called slums at the time,” Tyson said at the time. “I still can’t imagine meeting presidents, kings, queens. How did I get here? I’m amazed at that.”
In 2020, Tyson was inducted into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame and received a Peabody Award for his career.
Her memoir, “Just As I Am,” was released on January 26, the same day that “CBS This Morning” aired an interview between the iconic actress and Gayle King, where Tyson was able to reflect on her roles.
“Every time I’m offered a script … what interests me when I receive it is” why me? “She said. “Who was that character and why did they want to play him … and when I get to the point where I feel that her skin has fitted my arm or my mind, then I know there’s something about her.”
Born in 1924 to parents in western India, Tyson said she was a very shy child, the youngest of three. The AP said her parents moved from the Caribbean island of Nevis to New York’s East Harlem neighborhood. At an early age, her friends urged Tyson to start modeling because of her striking appearance.
Amanda Edwards / WireImage via Getty Images
The journey to celebrities, as she told Gayle King, was not an easy one. Tyson became pregnant when she was 17 and had a short marriage that lasted just over two years. Her decision to start an acting career as a single mother brought conflicts home, including her mother driving her out of the house.
“Oh, he told me I can’t live there and do that,” Tyson said. “Suddenly I found something I liked to do. And I had a baby to support.”
20th Century Fox through Getty Images
Tyson made his screen debut at the age of 31 in the 1956 black-and-white film “Carib Gold.” By pure determination, her career blossomed after she was given the lead role of her wife in a partisan of “Sounder” – the 1972 film based on the novel William H. Hunter. Her character was imprisoned for stealing a piece of food for the farmer’s family and was forced to take care of their children and attend the harvest.
At the time, a review in The New York Times wrote, “It passes all its light beauty to finally give us a sense of the deep beauty of millions of women of color.”
In Tyson’s memoirs, she talks about her love affair with the great jazzman Miles Davis, who put her on the cover of his 1967 album, “Wizard.” The two married in 1981, but divorced less than seven years later. However, their love lasted for decades. Tyson told King that he had never been able to find such love before.
At 96, Tyson was asked by King what it’s like to be considered a legend.
“I’m amazed every day I live,” she said. “I mean, what has become of my life is not what I expected … I had no idea I was going to touch anyone.”
When King asked Tyson, “When the time comes, what do you want us to remember about you?”
She replied, “I did my best. That’s all.”
The Associated Press and ETonline contributed to this report.