Cicely Tyson

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Cicely Tyson

By Shirley Beckworth on | From myfavoritestars.blog.com

Cecily Tyson

Tyson was born and raised in Harlem, New York, the daughter of Theodosia (a domestic) and William Tyson (a pushcart operator), immigrants from the island of Nevis of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Tyson’s father arrived in New York City at the age of 21 and was processed at Ellis Island on August 4, 1919.

She married famous jazz trumpeter Miles Davis on 26 November 1981; the ceremony was conducted by Atlanta mayor Andrew Young at the home of actor Bill Cosby. Tyson and Davis divorced in 1988. She was married to Miles Davis but, never had children.

Tyson was discovered by a photographer for Ebony magazine, and became a popular fashion model. Her first film was an uncredited role in Carib Gold in 1957, but she went on to do television – the celebrated series East Side/West Side and the long-running soap opera The Guiding Light. In 1961, Tyson appeared in the original cast of French playwright Jean Genet’s The Blacks, the longest running Off-Broadway non-musical of the decade, running for 1,408 performances.

Binta (Cicely Tyson, left), and Nyo Boto (Maya Angelou) welcomed the birth of Kunta Kinte

Tyson had a featured role in 1968 and was in a segment of the movie Roots. Based on Alex Haley’s best-selling novel, “Roots” followed 100 tumultuous years and several generations of the author’s African ancestors, from the arrival of Kunta Kinte, the West African youth kidnapped into slavery and shipped to America, through emancipation after the Civil War.

In 1972, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the critically acclaimed Sounder. In 1974, she won two Emmy Awards for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Other acclaimed television roles included Roots, King, in which she portrayed Coretta Scott King, The Marva Collins Story. When No One Would Listen and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All for which she received her third Emmy Award.

In her 1994-1995 television series Sweet Justice, Tyson portrayed a feisty, unorthodox Southern attorney named Carrie Grace Battle, a character she shaped by consulting with and shadowing the legendary Washington, D.C. civil rights and criminal defense lawyer Dovey Johnson Roundtree.

Cicely Tyson Hollywood Star of Fame was unveiled August 21, 1997. Category: Motion pictures. On Marshfield Way as it merges into Hollywood Blvd.

The Third Annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon honors African-American women who help to transform images of black women in television and film. Black women in Hollywood honorees included the enchanting Cicely Tyson.

In 2005, Tyson co-starred in the movies Because of Winn-Dixie and Diary of a Mad Black Woman. The same year she was honored by Oprah Winfrey at her Legends Ball.

Attending The 5th Annual TV Land Awards, April 14, 2007. Serving as a catalyst for national discussions about race, the legacy of slavery, African American history, ‘Roots’ launched a new passion for family history and genealogy, especially among African Americans. One that is very alive today.

Tyson, actress and humanitarian is active in charitable organizations like UNICEF and Save the Children and is a founding member of the Coalition for a Healthy and Active America.

Celebrating Black History Month February 2009. Cicely Tyson as she appeared in the landmark 1974 TV movie as 110-year-old Miss Jane Pittman (top). Cicely Tyson, 75, as she appeared at the NAACP Awards (bottom).

Attending The 41st NAACP Image Awards February 26, 2010. Tyson age 76.

Tyson also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. On May 17, 2009, received an honorary degree from Morehouse College, an all-male college.

Cicely Tyson’s School of Performing and Fine Arts is a magnet school in East Orange, New Jersey, was renamed in her honor. She plays an active part in supporting the school, which serves one of New Jersey’s most underprivileged African-American communities.