Over decades, Tyson became a legend by turning down stereotypical roles for Black women and instead forging a path with nuanced characters that led to household name status.
Krystie Lee Yandoli BuzzFeed News Reporter
Last updated on January 28, 2021
Jordan Strauss / AP
Inductee Cicely Tyson poses for a portrait at the 25th Television Academy Hall of Fame at the Saban Media Center on Jan. 28, 2020, in North Hollywood.
Cicely Tyson, the Hollywood legend who won Emmy and Tony awards during a 70-year career that spanned television, film, and theater, died Thursday. She was 96.
“I have managed Miss Tyson’s career for over 40 years, and each year was a privilege and blessing,” Tyson’s manager, Larry Thompson, said in a statement. “Cicely thought of her new memoir as a Christmas tree decorated with all the ornaments of her personal and professional life. Today she placed the last ornament, a Star, on top of the tree.”
Over decades, she became a legend by turning down stereotypical roles for Black women and instead forging a path with nuanced characters that led to household name status with 1974’s The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, for which she won two Emmys.
Associated Press
Cicely Tyson poses in 1974 with her Emmy awards.
After first pursuing a career as a fashion model, Tyson took up acting in 1951 on the NBC show Frontiers of Faith. When she appeared on the TV series East Side/West Side as Jane Foster from 1963–1964, she became the first Black woman to land a main role in a television drama. She also acted on the soap opera The Guiding Light.
Tyson won her first Emmy Award in 1974 for Best Lead Actress in a Drama and Actress of the Year for playing the role of Jane Pittman in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. In 1994, her acting in Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All won her another Emmy in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Special category. Throughout her career, Tyson was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards, including for her guest role in ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder.
In 2013, Tyson also earned a Tony Award in the category of Best Actress in a Play for the character Miss Carrie Watts in The Trip to Bountiful, becoming the oldest recipient of the honor in that category.
An accomplished actor, Tyson also received an Oscar nomination in 1973 in the Best Actress category for Sounder, as well as an Honorary Oscar in 2018. Among her other notable awards, Tyson was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-president Barack Obama in 2016 as well as the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015.
Tyson's acting career didn't slow down when she got older. She played supporting roles in 2011's The Help, House of Cards in 2016, and Madam Secretary in 2019. She also appeared in many Tyler Perry films, such as Diary of a Mad Black Woman in 2005, Madea’s Family Reunion in 2006, and Why Did I Get Married Too? in 2010.
In 1942, when the actor was 18, she married Kenneth Franklin, but the marriage ended 14 years later. In the 1960s, Tyson started dating famed jazz musician Miles Davis and the two married in 1981. She later filed for divorce in 1988.
On Jan. 26, two days before her death was announced, Tyson published a memoir titled Just as I Am, which detailed her career and personal life, including her marriage to Davis, who she said was unfaithful, physically abusive, and was addicted to drugs.
As news broke about Tyson's death, fans, members of Hollywood, and other public figures took to Twitter to mourn and celebrate the life of the iconic actor. US Rep. Maxine Waters wrote that Tyson was "one of the most profound, talented, & celebrated actors in the industry. She was a serious actor, beautiful & spiritual woman who had unlocked the key to longevity in the way she lived her life. Forever all my love & respect."Shonda Rhimes, who worked with Tyson on How to Get Away With Murder, wrote, "She was an extraordinary person. And this is an extraordinary loss. She had so much to teach. And I still have so much to learn. I am grateful for every moment. Her power and grace will be with us forever."
Earlier this month, the New York Times published an interview with Tyson while she was promoting her new memoir. When asked about whether she was afraid of death, the actor replied, “I’m not scared of death. I don’t know what it is. How could I be afraid of something I don’t know anything about?”
“[People] just think they know death because other people say it is something to be scared of, but they don’t know that it is a frightening thing. Do you?” Tyson added. “People say it is this and it is that. But they don’t know. They’ve not been there. I’ve not been there. I’m not in a hurry to go either! I take it a day at a time, David, and I’m grateful for every day that God gives me.”
Krystie Lee Yandoli is an entertainment reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Celebrities Are Remembering How Cicely Tyson Paved The Way For Black Women In Hollywood
"You made me feel loved and seen and valued in a world where there is still a cloak of invisibility for us dark chocolate girls," Viola Davis wrote on Twitter.
Cicely Tyson's career was an inspiration on and off the screen, so after the 96-year-old Hollywood icon died Thursday, the tributes to her came pouring in.
"I really need this not to be true," Shonda Rhimes, prolific producer and screenwriter, wrote on Twitter. Tyson had a memorable recurring role on Rhimes' show How to Get Away With Murder.
Rhimes then followed with a tribute to Tyson, the legendary actor who forged a path for Black women in the industry with nuanced characters throughout a 70-year career that earned her Emmy and Tony awards.
"She was an extraordinary person," Rhimes wrote. "She had so much to teach. And I still have so much to learn."
Actor Zendaya also mourned the loss of the acting icon.
"This one hurts," Zendya wrote.
"You paved the way," actor Tracie Thoms noted.
I really need this not to be true
She was an extraordinary person. And this is an extraordinary loss. She had so much to teach. And I still have so much to learn. I am grateful for every moment. Her power and grace will be with us forever. #cicelytyson https://t.co/RNYkGiooPD
This one hurts, today we honor and celebrate the life of one of the greatest to ever do it. Thank you Cicely Tyson. Rest in great power.
I have no words. Just thank you, Madame Cicely Tyson. We are, because YOU paved the way for us. A queen and a trailblazer indeed. Rest now... #RIPCicelyTyson. https://t.co/rjhtE38NgL
"You made me feel loved and seen and valued in a world where there is still a cloak of invisibility for us dark chocolate girls," Viola Davis wrote. "You gave me permission to dream."
I'm devastated. My heart is just broken. I loved you so much!! You were everything to me! You made me feel loved and seen and valued in a world where there is still a cloak of invisibility for us dark chocolate girls. You gave me permission to dream... https://t.co/7V7AFZtFLa
Others who had also gotten a chance to work with Tyson remembered her as tireless throughout the course of a 70-year career.
She was a consummate pro and all class and I was so fortunate to have worked with her on "Sweet Justice." But my best memory was traveling with her through Russia for a film festival, as she told us wonderful stories. Hollywood truly lost an icon today. RIP Cicely Tyson 😢🤟
It was an honor to have worked with Ms. Tyson on this video. We were worried she wouldn’t be able to read it off the prompter. But she took one look and said, “I’m ready.” She did it in one take. Rest peacefully, Queen 🥺🙏🏾
In a series of pictures, rapper and actor Common noted Tyson's influence throughout her career, not just on the screen, but in fashion and culture.
I’m so sad to hear the news that trailblazing artist and cultural icon Cicely Tyson has passed away today. While she may be gone, her work and life will continue to inspire millions for years to come. God Bless.
Just two days before her death, Tyson's memoir Just as I Am was published. In an interview with CBS This Morning's Gayle King, Tyson discussed her life and legacy as she promoted the book.
On Thursday, King posted a portion of the interview and thanked the trailblazing actor.
Thank you Cicely Tyson... for everything...
Such a loss. Rest in Peace, Cicely Tyson.💔 https://t.co/mYRsAD59WW
Others noted the barriers that were broken down by Tyson's work, especially for Black women. Her portrayals of nuanced characters and elegant presence on screen were both an inspiration and a force for change.
"I want to be recalled as one who squared my shoulders in the service of Black women, as one who made us walk taller and envision greater for ourselves." Thank you for all that you did for Black women. You will inspire Black women and girls for generations to come. #CicelyTyson
Indeed. That is precisely why we loved you so. Rest in peace, Queen. Thank you for leaving a legacy of cinematic art behind, for using your gifts to tell Black stories & to convey our full humanity. And thank you for doing it all with style, flair & grace inimitable.
So saddened to hear my friend #CicelyTyson has passed-one of the most profound, talented, & celebrated actors in the industry. She was a serious actor, beautiful & spiritual woman who had unlocked the key to longevity in the way she lived her life. Forever all my love & respect.
Cicely Tyson was light-filled and generous with it, full of grace and gravitas, dignity and warmth and she was also very beautiful and glamorous and clearly knew it, and God, I love seeing black women bold with their beauty
This woman gave us so many visions of ourselves. Thank you for always @IAmCicelyTyson
An icon, in its truest sense, is someone who wakes you up and, by the sheer beauty of their transcendent existence, doesn’t make you want to Beloit *them.* They make you want to be more of *yourself.* And that is Ms. Cicely Tyson. You can rest now. You gave us every gift.❤️
Bernice King, the youngest of Martin Luther King Jr.'s children, also honored the actor.
"What a vessel," she wrote.
An elder...now an ancestor. What a vessel. #CicelyTyson
