Monday, October 26, 2015

A00140 - Cicely Tyson, Emmy and Tony Award Winning Actress


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Cicely Tyson,  (born December 19, 1933?New York, New York, U.S.), American model and actress noted for her vivid portrayals of strong African American women.
Tyson, the daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis, grew up in a devoutly religious household in Harlem. Discovered by a fashion editor atEbony magazine, she quickly rose to the top of the modeling world. In 1957 she began acting in Off-Broadway productions, and the following decade she appeared in several short-lived Broadway shows. She won minor roles in a few feature films before portraying Portia in the 1968 film version of Carson McCullers’s The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
Because she was committed to presenting only positive images of black women, Tyson did not have steady work in film and television. Her next notable role was as Rebecca Morgan in the popular and critically acclaimed film Sounder (1972), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for best actress. In 1974 she appeared in perhaps her best-known role, that of the title character in the television drama The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, adapted from the eponymous novel byErnest J. Gaines. Her performance as the 110-year-old former slave whose life is depicted up through the civil rights movement of the 1960s won Tyson two Emmy Awards.
Angelou, Maya: with Cicely Tyson in “Roots” [Credit: Fotos International/Hulton Archive/Getty Images]Tyson subsequently took on supporting roles in the television miniseriesRoots (1977; based on Alex Haley’s book) and The Women of Brewster Place (1989; based on Gloria Naylor’s novel) before winning another Emmy for her performance in the TV movie Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994). She then starred as the title character in a 1998 television adaptation of Haley’s Mama Flora’s Family. Tyson’s additional feature film credits include Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Hoodlum(1997), The Help (2011), and several popular movies directed by Tyler Perry. In 2013 she returned to Broadway, after nearly 30 years, to play the lead in a revival of Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful; her performance earned her a Tony Award. She also starred in the 2014 television adaptation of the play.
Apart from her acting career, Tyson was known for her relationship with jazz musician Miles Davis(married 1981–88). She was honoured by the Congress of Racial Equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the National Council of Negro Women. In 1977 she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. She was named a Kennedy Center honoree in 2015.
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Cicely Tyson,  (born December 19, 1924, New York, New York), American model and actress noted for her vivid portrayals of strong African American women.

Tyson, the daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis, grew up in a devoutly religious household in Harlem.  Discovered by a fashion editor at Ebony magazine, she quickly rose to the top of the modeling world. In 1957 she began acting in Off-Broadway productions, and the following decade she appeared in several short-lived Broadway shows. She won minor roles in a few feature films before portraying Portia in the 1968 film version of Carson McCullers' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.  

Because she was committed to presenting only positive images of black women, Tyson did not have steady work in film and television. Her next notable role was as Rebecca Morgan in the popular and critically acclaimed film Sounder (1972), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for best actress. In 1974 she appeared in perhaps her best-known role, that of the title character in the television drama The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, adapted from the eponymous novel by Ernest J. Gaines.  Her performance as the 110-year-old former slave whose life is depicted up through the civil rights movement of the 1960s won Tyson two Emmy Awards. 

Tyson subsequently took on supporting roles in the television miniseries Roots (1977; based on Alex Haley's book) and The Women of Brewster Place (1989; based on Gloria Naylor's novel) before winning another Emmy for her performance in the TV movie Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994). She then starred as the title character in a 1998 television adaptation of Haley’s Mama Flora’s Family. Tyson’s additional feature film credits include Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Hoodlum (1997), The Help (2011), and several popular movies directed by Tyler Perry. In 2013 she returned to Broadway, after nearly 30 years, to play the lead in a revival of Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful; her performance earned her a Tony Award. She also starred in the 2014 television adaptation of the play.

Apart from her acting career, Tyson was known for her relationship with jazz musician Miles Davis (married 1981–88). She was honored by the Congress of Racial Equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the National Council of Negro Women. In 1977, she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. She was named a Kennedy Center honoree in 2015.
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How old is Cicely Tyson really? Her official age on the imdb.com and other sources puts her at 79. That would seem about right. An article from People magazine’s archives, published in 1974 when she was nominated for an Oscar for “Sounder,” would seem to agree. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20064128,00.html
But today’s New York Times says she’s 88 years old. A publicist for “The Trip to Bountiful” tells me: “She doesn’t dispute it.” At the premiere last night, another sider said the cast of the play asked her, and again, she didn’t quarrel with 88. The publicist said that both the Times and CBS had done comparisons, looking at old stories to figure it out.
I looked at this woman up close last night under photographers’ bright lights. If she’s 88,  I want the name and number of everyone involved. She’s discovered the fountain of youth.
So which is it? Seventy nine or eighty eight? I checked with some databases today that are based on census and tax records. I was convinced I would come up with 70. And lo and behold, I’m getting the higher number. Gasp. Tyson is on stage for two hours, in almost every scene of “Bountiful.”
Her famous husband, Miles Davis, was born in 1926. That would have him made seven years older than Tyson in the original thinking. But if she’s 88, Tyson–born as Cicely Richards in Harlem–was born in 1924. If so, she was around 50, not 40, at the time of “Sounder.” And she was two years older than Davis.


They do say age is just a number, and it’s all about how you feel. Last night I asked her if she got tired during the show. (It took at least an hour or more to get her over from the theater to the party, making us wonder if she hadn’t just gone to bed.) Tyson, eyes sparkling, said: “The character gets tired, but I don’t!” She added: “I’m tired now!”

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Cicely L. Tyson (born December 18, 1924)[1][3] is an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and the Golden Globe Award for her performance as Rebecca Morgan in Sounder (1972). For this role she also won the NSFC Best Actress and NBR Best Actress Awards. She starred in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), for which she won two Emmy Awards and was nominated for a BAFTA Award.[4]
During her career she has been nominated for twelve Primetime Emmy Awards, winning three. In 2011, she appeared in the film The Help, for which she received awards for her ensemble work as Constantine from the BFCA and SAG Awards and she has an additional four SAG Award nominations. She starred on Broadway in The Trip to Bountiful as Carrie Watts, for which she won the Tony AwardOuter Critics Award, and Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Play. She previously received a Drama Desk Award in 1962 for her Off-Broadway performance in Moon on a Rainbow Shawl.[4][5]

Early life[edit]

Tyson was born and raised in Harlem, the daughter of Frederica, a domestic, and William Tyson,[1] who worked as a carpenter, painter, and at any other jobs he could find. Her parents were immigrants from Nevis in the West Indies.[6][7][8] Her father arrived in New York City at age 21 and was processed at Ellis Island on August 4, 1919.[9]

Career[edit]


Tyson in 1973
Tyson was discovered by a photographer for Ebony magazine and became a popular fashion model. Her first acting role was on the NBC series Frontiers of Faith in 1951.[10]Her first film role was in Carib Gold in 1956, but she went on to do more television work, such as the celebrated series East Side/West Side and the 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. She appeared with Sammy Davis, Jr. in the film A Man Called Adam (1966) and starred in the film version of Graham Greene's The Comedians (1967). Tyson had a featured role in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), and appeared in a segment of Roots.[11]
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 RootsKing, in which she portrayed Coretta Scott KingThe Marva Collins StoryWhen No One Would Listen, and The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, for which she received her third Emmy Award. In 1982, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Awardfor outstanding women, who through their endurance and the excellence of their work have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.[12]
In 1991 she appeared in Fried Green Tomatoes as Sipsey. In her 1994–95 television series Sweet Justice, Tyson portrayed a civil rights activist and attorney named Carrie Grace Battle, a character she shaped by reportedly consulting with noted Washington, D.C. civil rights and criminal defense lawyer Dovey Johnson Roundtree. In 2005, Tyson co-starred in Because of Winn-Dixie and Diary of a Mad Black Woman. The same year she was honored at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball. The Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts, a magnet school inEast 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. In 2010, she narrated the "Paul Robeson Award"-winning documentary, Up from the Bottoms: The Search for the American Dream. In 2010, she appeared in Why Did I Get Married Too? In 2011, Tyson appeared in her first music video inWillow Smith's 21st Century Girl. That same year she played Constantine Jefferson in The Help.[13]
At the 67th Tony Awards on June 9, 2013, Tyson won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Miss Carrie Watts in The Trip to Bountiful.[14] She also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for the role.[15][16]

Personal life[edit]


Davis and Tyson in 1982
Tyson has been married once, to legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis on November 26, 1981. The ceremony was conducted by Atlanta mayor Andrew Young at the home of actor Bill Cosby. Tyson and Davis divorced in 1988. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. On May 17, 2009, she received an honorary degree from Morehouse College, an all-male college. In 2010, she was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP.[17]
On May 21, 2014, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Columbia University.[18]

Credits[edit]


Tyson as Miss Jane Pittman (1974)

The handprints of Cicely Tyson in front of The Great Movie Ride atWalt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

Film[edit]

YearTitleRoleNotes
1956Carib GoldDottie
1958Odds Against TomorrowJazz Club bartender
1959The Last Angry ManGirl Left on Porch(uncredited)
1966A Man Called AdamClaudia Ferguson
1967The ComediansMarie Therese
1968The Heart Is a Lonely HunterPortia
1972SounderRebecca MorganKansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
National Board of Review Award for Best Actress
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1976The Blue BirdTylette, The Cat
1976The River NigerMattie Williams
1978A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a SandwichSweets1978 King Coretta King
1979The Concorde ... Airport '79Elaine
1981Bustin' LooseVivian Perry
1991Fried Green TomatoesSipsey
1997HoodlumStephanie St. ClairNominated — Acapulco Black Film Festival Award for Best Actress
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
2001The Double Dutch Divas!Herself(short subject) (uncredited)
2005Because of Winn-DixieGloria Dump
2005Diary of a Mad Black WomanMyrtleNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated — BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Theatrical Film
Nominated — Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
2006Madea's Family ReunionMyrtle
2006Fat Rose and SqueakyCeline
2006IdlewildMother Hopkins
2007Rwanda RisingVoice of Jeanette Nyirabagarwa(documentary)
2009Up from the Bottoms: The Search for the American DreamNarrator(documentary)
2010Why Did I Get Married Too?Ola
2011The HelpConstantine BatesBlack Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble
Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Hollywood Film Festival Award for Ensemble of the Year
National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated — Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Ensemble
Nominated — Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated — San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble
Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
2012Alex CrossNana Mama
2013The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of GeorgiaMamma Kay

Television[edit]

YearTitleRoleNotes
1962The NursesBetty Ann WarnerEpisode: "Frieda"
1963Naked CityEpisode: "Howard Running Bear Is a Turtle"
1963–64East Side/West Side(26 episodes)
1965Slattery's PeopleSarah BrookmanEpisode: "Question: Who You Taking to the Main Event, Eddie?"
1965–66I SpyPrincess Amara
Vickie Harmon
Episode: "So Long, Patrick Henry"
Episode: "Trial by Treehouse"
1966Guiding LightMartha Frazier
1967Cowboy in AfricaJulie AndersonEpisode: "Tomorrow on the Wind"
1967Judd for the DefenseLucille EvansEpisode: "Commitment"
1968–69The F.B.I.Julie Harmon
Lainey Harber
Episode: "The Enemies"
Episode: "Silent Partners"
1969Medical CenterSusan WileyEpisode: "The Last 10 Yards"
1969The Courtship of Eddie's FatherBetty KellyEpisode: "Guess Who's Coming for Lunch"
1970GunsmokeRachel BiggsEpisode: "The Scavengers"
1970Mission: ImpossibleAlma RossEpisode: "Death Squad"
1970The Bill Cosby ShowMildred HermosaEpisode: "Blind Date"
1970Here Come the BridesPrincess LucendaEpisode: "A Bride for Obie Brown"
1971InsightEpisode: "The Bird of the Mast"
1971Marriage: Year OneEmma Teasley(unsold pilot)
1971Neighbors
1972Emergency!Mrs. JohnsonEpisode: "Crash"
1972Wednesday Night Out
1974The Autobiography of Miss Jane PittmanJane PittmanPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Emmy Award for Actress of the Year – Special
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1974Free to Be… You and MeHerself
1976Just an Old Sweet SongPriscilla Simmons
1977RootsBintaMiniseries
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
1977WilmaBlanche Rudolph
1978KingCoretta Scott KingMiniseries
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
1978A Woman Called MosesHarriet Ross Tubman
1981The Marva Collins StoryMarva CollinsNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
1982Benny's PlaceOdessa
1985Playing with FireCarol Phillips
1986Intimate EncountersDr. Claire Dalton
1986Acceptable RisksJanet Framm
1986Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder StoryMurielNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
1989The Women of Brewster PlaceMrs. Browne
1990The Kid Who Loved ChristmasEtta
1990B.L. StrykerRuth HastingsEpisode: "Winner Takes All"
1990Heat WaveRuthana RichardsonCableACE Award for Actress in a Movie or Miniseries
1991ClippersDonnaUnsold pilot
1991Fried Green TomatoesSipsey
1992DuplicatesDr. Randolph
1992When No One Would ListenSarah
1993House of SecretsEvangeline
1994Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells AllCastralia, Marsden Family House Slave/MaidPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
1994–95Sweet JusticeCarrie Grace BattleNominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Drama Series
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
1996The Road to GalvestonJordan RooseveltNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Lone Star Film & Television Award for Best TV Actress
Nominated — CableACE Award for Actress in a Movie or Miniseries
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
1997Bridge of TimeGuardian
1997RiotMaggieSegment: "Homecoming Day"
Nominated — CableACE Award for Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries
1997Ms. ScroogeMs. Ebenita Scrooge
1997The Price of Heaven (Blessed Assurance)Vesta Lotte Battle
1998Always OutnumberedLuvia
1998Mama Flora's FamilyMama FloraNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
1999A Lesson Before DyingTante LouBlack Reel Award for Network/Cable – Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
1999Aftershock: Earthquake in New YorkEmily Lincoln
2000Touched by an AngelAbbyEpisode: "Living the Rest of My Life"
2000The Outer LimitsJustice Gretchen ParkhurstEpisode: "Final Appeal"
2001JewelCathedral
2002The Rosa Parks StoryLeona Edwards McCauleyBlack Reel Award for Network/Cable – Best Supporting Actress
2005Higglytown HeroesGreat Aunt Shirley HeroEpisode: "Wayne's 100 Special Somethings"
2009Relative StrangerPearlNominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
2009Law and Order: SVUOndine BurdettEpisode "Hell"
2014The Trip to BountifulMrs. Carrie WattsTV Movie
Black Reel Award for Best Actress: T.V. Movie/Cable
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie (executive producer)
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2015How to Get Away with MurderOphelia HarknessEpisode: "Mama's Here Now"
Nominated — Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Theatre[edit]


YearTitleRoleTheatre
1957Dark of the Moon[19]Little Theatre
1959Jolly's Progress[20]Jolly (understudy)Longacre Theatre
1960The Cool World[21]GirlEugene O'Neill Theatre
1961The Blacks: A Clown Show[19][22]Stephanie Virtue DiopSt. Mark's Playhouse
1962Moon on a Rainbow Shawl[19]East 11th Street Theater
1962Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright[23]Celeste Chipley
Adelaide Smith (understudy)
Booth Theatre
1963The Blue Boy in Black[19][24]JoanMasque Theatre
1963Trumpets of the Lord[19][25]Rev. Marion AlexanderAstor Place Theatre
1966A Hand Is on the Gate[26]PerformerLongacre Theatre
1968Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights[19][27]Myrna JessupJohn Golden Theatre
1969To Be Young, Gifted and Black[19][28]VariousCherry Lane Theatre
1969Trumpets of the Lord[29]Rev. Marion AlexanderBrooks Atkinson Theatre
1983The Corn Is Green[30][31]Miss MoffatLunt-Fontanne Theatre
2013The Trip to BountifulMiss Carrie WattsStephen Sondheim Theatre
2015The Gin GameFonsia DorseyJohn Golden Theater

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