In addition to her screen career, Tyson appeared in various theater productions. She was awarded for her performances in productions both on and off Broadway.
Tyson was born in the Bronx, New York City, but soon relocated with her family to East Harlem.[5] She was one of three children born to Fredericka (Huggins) Tyson, a domestic worker, and William Augustine Tyson, who worked as a carpenter and painter.[11][12] Her parents were immigrants from Nevis in the West Indies.[13][14] Her father arrived in New York City at age 21 and was processed at Ellis Island on August 4, 1919.[15]
Tyson grew up in a religious atmosphere. She sang in the choir and attended prayer meetings at an Episcopal church in East Harlem. Tyson's mother was opposed to her becoming an actress and would not speak to her for a time. She changed her mind when she saw Cicely appear on stage.[16]
In 1962, she became the first African American woman to wear an Afro on television in the United States.[citation needed]
In the early 1960s, Tyson appeared in the original cast of French playwright Jean Genet's The Blacks. She played the role of Stephanie Virtue Secret-Rose Diop; other cast members included Maya Angelou, James Earl Jones, Godfrey Cambridge, Louis Gossett Jr., and Charles Gordone.[21] The show was the longest running off-Broadway non-musical of the decade, running for 1,408 performances.[22] She won the 1961–1962 Vernon Rice Award (later known as the Drama Desk Award) for her performance in another off-Broadway production, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl.[16][23] In 1963, Tyson appeared on the game show To Tell The Truth as an "imposter" for Australian singer Shirley Abicair, receiving two of the four possible votes.[24]
Tyson, who once worked for a social services agency, was spotted by producer David Susskind in The Blacks and in Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright, and was cast for a role in the CBS TV series East Side/West Side (1963–1964), playing the secretary of a social worker played by George C. Scott.[16] She was at the time the only African-American regular member of a TV cast,[25][26] The show was noted for its treatment of social issues, and one of its episodes, on an African-American couple in Harlem (played by James Earl Jones and Diana Sands), was blacked out in Atlanta and Shreveport, Louisiana.[26]
In 1974, Tyson played the title role in the television film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Tyson's portrayal of a centenarian black woman's life from slavery until her death before the Civil rights movement won her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie and an Emmy Award for Actress of the Year – Special. Tyson was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in this television film.[35]
At the age of 18, Tyson married Kenneth Franklin on December 27, 1942.[52] They had a daughter two months later, in February 1943.[53] According to her divorce decree, her husband abandoned her on June 18, 1944. The marriage was formally dissolved in 1956.[54][55]
Tyson began dating jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in the 1960s when he was in the process of divorcing dancer Frances Davis.[56] Davis used a photo of Tyson for his 1967 album, Sorcerer. Davis told the press in 1967 that he intended to marry Tyson in March 1968 after his divorce was finalized,[57] but instead he married singer Betty Mabry that September.[58]
Tyson and Davis rekindled their relationship in 1978. They were married on November 26, 1981, in a ceremony conducted by Atlanta mayor Andrew Young at the home of actor Bill Cosby. Their marriage was tumultuous due to Davis' volatile temper and infidelity.[59] Davis credited Tyson with saving his life and helping him overcome his cocaine addiction.[59] They resided in Malibu, California, and New York City, until she filed for divorce in 1988.[60] Their divorce was finalized in 1989, two years before Davis died in 1991.[59]
Tyson's memoir, Just as I Am, was published on January 26, 2021,[66] and she promoted the book during the last weeks of her life. When she was asked how she wanted to be remembered in an interview with Gayle King, Tyson said, "I've done my best. That's all."[67]
Death
Tyson died on January 28, 2021, at the age of 96.[66] Her funeral was held February 16 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, and was attended by Tyler Perry, her godson Lenny Kravitz, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.[68]
^At the time of her death, numerous sources, most notably the New York Times, listed Tyson's date of birth as December 18, 1924. Indeed it was the Times, back in 2013, that had first broken the story, confirmed by Tyson, that the actress was in fact 88 years old, and thus born in December 1924 rather than 1933 as had been previously reported.[6] As Tyson explained in her 2021 memoir, "1933" was no mistake, but rather a prime example of the age-shaving initiated by her onetime manager and perpetuated by Tyson with the express intent of bypassing the pervasive age discrimination facing women in the industry. That said, no matter how many years mysteriously vanished along the way, the month and day of her birth, as cited in media accounts throughout Tyson's career, had remained a constant at December 19.[7] By contrast, the only source for the Times' 12/18 date seems to be a 1935 document, the Petition for Naturalization filed by Cicely's father William Augustine Tyson on July 31 of that year. The problem is that by that time, again as recounted in the 2021 memoir, it had been at least seven months—and perhaps as many as 10—since Mr. Tyson actually resided with his wife and children. The previous fall, no longer willing to put up with William's persistent and unrepentant adultery (not to mention his hair-trigger temper when confronted regarding this behavior), Fredericka Tyson had gathered their three children plus essential belongings and promptly moved to a new address, where her husband was welcome to visit—so as not to deprive their children of a father altogether—but no more than that.[8] (Just how deep a rift had been opened up between the two may perhaps be gleaned from the 1940 U.S. Census entry for the Tyson family, now minus William, wherein all four remaining Tysons have retroactively been 'reborn' in South Carolina.[2]) And so, coming some seven to 10 months after their informal separation, with his attention presumably even more divided than before, a slight lack of precision regarding his eldest daughter's birth date should not come as too great a surprise.
References
^ a b"Petition for Naturalization". FamilySearch.org. U.S. District Court Naturalization Records, 1824–1946. July 31, 1935. Cecily, Dec. 18, 1924
^ a b c"United States Census, 1940; New York City, Manhattan, Assembly District 18". FamilySearch.org. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. April 3, 1940. Cecily Tyson, Female, 16, Single, Negro, Daughter
^"'Stars of Tomorrow' Enroll for Contest". New York Amsterdam News. May 23, 1953. Close on her heels were Jean Johnson, a beautician of 435 W. 125th St., and Cecily Tyson, a fashion model, who lives at 311 E. 102nd St.
^"Cicely Tyson, Towering Award-Winning Star of Stage and Screen, Dies at 96". Broadway.com. January 28, 2021. Cicely Louise Tyson was born on December 18, 1924 in New York City.
^ a bElber, Lynn (January 23, 2020). "Cicely Tyson Talks Life, Longevity and Love". Chicago Tribune. p. 36. "She described her annual birthday eve ritual. 'I sit at a table with a clock and when it gets to one minute after 12, that's when I say, "Thank You," and "Happy Birthday, Cicely,"' said Tyson, who was born December 19, 1924 in New York City." See also:
Tyson, Cicely; Burford, Michelle (2021). Just as I Am: A Memoir. New York, NY: HarperCollins. pp. 16, 17, 368. ISBN 978-0-06-293106-1 "My parents began their married life together in a Bronx tenement before later relocating to Manhattan's East Side. The year after they wed, they welcomed my brother, Melrose, a name my father had loved since the day he spotted it on a street sign in the Bronx. Six days before Christmas in 1924, I arrived with my thumb poked in my mouth and nary a strand of hair." [...] "After we'd moved from the Bronx to the East Side, Daddy would put me in my stroller early in the mornings and walk me over to Central Park." [...] "During the press blitzkrieg surrounding the Kennedy Center ceremony, I spoke that number aloud with nary a quake in my voice. 'When were you born?' one reporter asked me. 'December 19, 1924,' I answered.'"
Palm, Anika Myers (January 29, 2021). "Cicely Tyson, iconic and influential actress, dies at 96" Archived October 21, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. CNN. "Tyson was born December 19, 1924, in New York to William and Theodosia Tyson."
Dillon, Nancy; Greene, Leonard (January 29, 2021). "Cicely Tyson Dies, 96; B'way, Hollywood star played strong women". New York Daily News. "Cicely Tyson was born in Harlem on December 19, 1924."
"Cicely Tyson Obituary". The Guardian. January 31, 2021. "Cicely Tyson, actor, born 19 December 1924; died 28 January 2021."
Tyson, Cicely (December 19, 2019). p. A8. "Thought of the Day".Kent County News. "Cicely Tyson, American actress, born on this day in 1924."
Democrat staff (December 19, 2018). "It's Your Birthday: Who's Celebrating Today". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 5B.
Record-Journal staff (December 19, 2017). "Today in History". Meriden Record-Journal. p. B6.
Times staff (December 19, 2016). "Birthdays". The Salisbury Daily Times. p .C6.
^Brantley, Ben (April 23, 2013). "Home Is Where the Years Disappear". New York Times.
^* Herald-Palladium staff (December 18, 1976). "What in the World: Birthdays (Sunday-Saturday)". The Herald-Palladium Family Weekend. p. 14.
Associated Press (December 19, 1978). "Today". Corvallis Gazette-Times. p. 11.
Associated Press (1979). "Today in History"
Bulletin staff (December 19, 1985). "Today in History". Latrobe Bulletin. p. 20.
Reporter-Times staff (December 19, 1987). "World Almanac Datebook: Dec. 19, 1987". The Martinsville Reporter-Times. p. 2.
Bulletin staff (December 19, 1988). "Today in History". Latrobe Bulletin. p. 21.
Associated Press (December 19, 1989). "Today in History". Lancaster Intelligencer Journal. p. 2.
Star staff. (December 18, 1998) "Birthdates". The Windsor Star. p. 34.
World staff (December 19, 2001). "Today's Birthdays". Daily World. p. 28.
World staff (December 19, 2018). "Celebrity Birthdays". Daily World. p. B3.
^Tyson, Cicely; Burford, Michelle (2021). Just as I Am: A Memoir. New York, NY: HarperCollins. pp. 47–53. ISBN 978-0-06-293106-1.
^"Cicely Tyson". Britannica. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
^Melton, Lori (December 7, 2015). "Cicely Tyson: Legendary Portrait Of Beauty, Courage And Strength". CBS Sacramento. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
^Palm, Anika Myers (January 29, 2021). "Cicely Tyson, iconic and influential actress, dies at 96". CNN. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
^McFadden, Robert D. (January 29, 2021). "Cicely Tyson, an Actress Who Shattered Stereotypes, Dies at 96". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
^"Cicely Tyson: Bah, Humbug? Actress Stars as Ms. Scrooge. (Living)". The Cincinnati Post. republished online at Highbeam.com. November 28, 1997. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012.
^Klemesrud, Judy (October 1, 1972). "Cicely, the Looker From 'Sounder'; Cicely, the Looker". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
^The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, Inc, Ellisisland.org; retrieved August 9, 2013.
^ a b c dMessina, Matt (September 8, 1963). "Actress Finds TV Role Strikes Familiar Note". Daily News. p. 10. Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Brown, Stacy M. (February 11, 2019). "At 94, The Legendary Cicely Tyson Remains An 'Optimist'". The Charleston Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 11, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^Cohen, Harold V. (October 14, 1965). "At Random: Maelstrom". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^Margold, Jane (August 4, 1966). "Movies Mean Growing Up to Actress Cicely Tyson". Newsday. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^"Integration Conflict Dramatized". The Bradenton Herald. February 18, 1961. p. 6. Retrieved August 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Genet, Jean; Frechtman, Bernard (November 24, 1960). The blacks : a clown show. New York: Grove Press, Inc. ISBN 9780394172200 – via Internet Archive.
^Gussow, Mel (April 16, 1986). "Jean Genet, The Playwright, Dies at 75". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
^"Off-Broadway Awards Presented". The New York Times. May 15, 1962. p. 49.
^"To Tell the Truth". CBS. July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^"Cicely Tyson Biography (1924–2021)". Biography.com. Retrieved February 28, 2019. In 1963 Tyson became the first African American star of a TV drama in the series East Side/West Side...
^ a bCosham, Ralph H. (November 25, 1963). "Negro Comes to Television; Sponsors Happy". Nashville Banner. United Press International. p. 29. Retrieved January 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. …only one dramatic program features a Negro as a regular member of the cast. She is Cicely Tyson, who portrays a social worker in the new CBS series East Side, West Side.
^Kantrowitz, Barbara (September 3, 2009). "After 72 Years, Springfield Gets a Stop Sign (Published 2009)". The New York Times.
^Obenson, Tambay (August 27, 2019). "'How to Get Away with Murder': Cicely Tyson and Glynn Turman on the Honor of Acting".
^"What's on TV Monday: 'The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons Ever'". Los Angeles Times. June 8, 2020.
^"The Comedians | TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
^Adler, Renata (August 1, 1968). "Screen: 'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter':Alan Arkin Starred in McCullers Story Dean Martin Western Is at Local Houses". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
^ a bHaylock, Zoe (January 28, 2021). "Cicely Tyson: 10 of Her Most Memorable Performances". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
^"Past Awards". National Society of Film Critics. December 19, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
^"Best Actress Archives". National Board of Review. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
^"Cicely Tyson, award-winning American actress noted for playing strong characters – obituary". The Telegraph. January 29, 2021. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
^"Cicely Tyson". Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
^"Cicely Tyson/Talking Heads". IMDb.
^Searles, Jourdain (February 25, 2019). "How The Women Of Brewster Place Revolutionized the Depiction of Black Women on TV". Thrillist.
^"Cicely Tyson". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
^Fox, Margalit (May 21, 2018). "Dovey Johnson Roundtree, Barrier-Breaking Lawyer, Dies at 104". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
^Fries, Laura (May 21, 1999). "A Lesson Before Dying". Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
^"Because of Winn-Dixie". IMDb. February 18, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
^"The Help". IMDb. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
^"17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards (2012) – Best Picture: The Artist". Critics Choice Association. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
^Grossman, Emily (December 14, 2018). "Inside Every Recent Film Ensemble SAG Award Winner". Backstage. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
^Purcell, Carey (June 9, 2013). "Kinky Boots, Vanya and Sonia, Pippin and Virginia Woolf? Are Big Winners at 67th Annual Tony Awards". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
^McFadden, Robert D. (January 29, 2021). "Cicely Tyson, an Actress Who Shattered Stereotypes, Dies at 96". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
^Hetrick, Adam (May 19, 2013). "Billy Porter, Andrea Martin, Pippin, Matilda, Vanya and Sonia Win Drama Desk Awards". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
^Gans, Andrew (May 13, 2013). "Pippin Is Big Winner of 2012–13 Outer Critics Circle Awards". Playbill. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
^"Director Tom Elkins: Awakening the "GHOSTS OF GEORGIA"". Fangoria. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
^"A Fall from Grace | Netflix Official Site". netflix.com. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
^"Marriage License". Ancestry. New York City Department of Records & Information Services. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
^Fernández, Alexia (January 28, 2021). "Cicely Tyson Opened Up About Her Relationship with Her Daughter in Her Memoir: 'My Beloved Princess'". People.
^"Join Ancestry®". ancestry.com.
^"Abstract of Divorce Decree". Ancestry.com. October 17, 1957. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
^"Miles Davis And Wife Now 'Miles Apart'". Jet. 33 (19): 23. February 15, 1968.
^"Miles Davis To Make March Merger With Cicely Tyson". Jet. 33 (4): 56. November 2, 1967.
^"One Of Sexiest Men Alive". Jet. 35 (2): 48. October 17, 1968.
^ a b cDavis, Miles; Troupe, Quincy (1990). Miles: The Autobiography. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-72582-2.
^"Cicely Tyson To Divorce Trumpeter Miles Davis". Jet. 73 (21): 13. February 22, 1988.
^"Pioneering US actress Cicely Tyson dies aged 96". BBC News. January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
^Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. [@dstinc1913] (February 18, 2019). "The legendary Cicely Tyson graces the cover of TIME Magazine's second Optimism issue out this month. Tyson has been acting since 1956. She has received several honors and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She's an Honorary Member of Delta Sigma Theta" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^Leonardo Blair, Cicely Tyson's pastor remembers her faith as family announces public viewing, christianpost.com, USA, February 5, 2021
^Armstrong, David. (1991). The Great American Medicine Show. Prentice Hall. p. 62. ISBN 978-0133640274
^Lane, Carl L. (January 29, 2021). "Actress, Cicely Tyson, Lived So Black Children Could Dream". Medium. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
^ a bDagan, Carmel (January 28, 2021). "Cicely Tyson, Pioneering Hollywood Icon, Dies at 96". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
^Italie, Hillel; Kennedy, Mark (January 29, 2021). "Cicely Tyson, her memoir just out, was active to the end". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021 – via Associated Press.
^Allen, Zita (February 24, 2021). "Cicely Tyson and the Enduring Legacy of Arthur Mitchell's Dance Theatre of Harlem". Pointe. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
^"Past recipients", Women in Film website. Archived June 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Wif.org. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
^"Candace Award in 1982–1990". NCBW.org. National Coalition of 100 Black Women. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 14, 2003.
^"Cicely Tyson". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. October 25, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
^"CICELY TYSON TO RECEIVE CRYSTAL STAIR AWARD". Sugarcane Magazine. October 24, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
^Pedersen, Erik (January 28, 2021). "Cicely Tyson Dies: Pioneering 'Sounder' Oscar Nominee & 'Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman' Emmy Winner Was 96". Deadline. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
^"NAACP Spingarn Medal". NAACP.org. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
^"NAACP Names Cicely Tyson 95th Spingarn Medalist". NAACP.org. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^Outten, Bridgette. "NAACP Honors Cicely Tyson with Spingarn Medal, Wraps Up Convention". Politic365.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^"Cicely Tyson". Britannica.com. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
^Kennedy, Merrit (November 16, 2016). "These Are The 21 People Receiving The Nation's Highest Civilian Honor". NPR.org. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
^Bahr, Lindsay (September 5, 2018). "Cicely Tyson, Kathleen Kennedy among film academy honorees". APNews.com. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
^Sinha-Roy, Piya (November 19, 2018). "Cicely Tyson, Kathleen Kennedy break new ground with honorary Oscars". EW.com. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
^Gans, Andrew (November 12, 2018). "Cicely Tyson, Christine Baranski, David Henry Hwang, More Inducted Into Theater Hall of Fame November 12". Playbill. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
^"Cicely Tyson, Seth MacFarlane joining TV Hall of Fame". APNews.com. December 3, 2019.
^Nazareno, Mia (December 17, 2021). "Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy, Jr. & More to Be Inducted at 2022 Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
^"Honorary degree bestowed on Cicely Tyson". news.columbia.edu. Columbia University. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
^Cox, Timothy (May 19, 2016). "President Obama draws rock-star reactions at Howard University commencement". The Chronicle. Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
^"Morehouse College". Morehouse.edu. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
^Bondy, Halley (September 25, 2009). "Cicely Tyson comes to East Orange to dedicate new school named for her". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved January 30, 2021.