Cicely Tyson was born in Harlem, New York City, where she was raised by her devoutly religious parents, from the Caribbean island of Nevis. Her mother, Theodosia, was a domestic, and her father, William Tyson, was a carpenter and painter. She was discovered by a fashion editor at Ebony magazine and, with her stunning looks, she quickly rose to the top of the modeling industry. In 1957, she began acting in Off-Broadway productions. She had small roles in feature films before she was cast as Portia in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968). Four years later, Cicely was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her sensational performance in the critically acclaimed film Sounder (1972). In 1974, she went on to portray a 110-year-old former slave in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), which earned her two Emmy Awards. She also appeared in the television miniseries Roots (1977), King (1978) and A Woman Called Moses (1978). While Cicely has not appeared steadily onscreen because of her loyalty to only portray strong, positive images of Black women, she is without a doubt one of the most talented, beautiful actresses to have ever graced the stage and screen.
Movie | How It Feels to Be Free | Self (archival footage) | 2021-01-18 |
Movie | A Fall from Grace | Alice | 2020-01-17 |
Series | Cherish the Day | Miss Luma Lee Langston | 2020-02-11 |
Movie | The Other Boys of Summer | Narrator | 2019-06-19 |
Series | Biography: Farrah Fawcett Forever | Self | 2019-07-09 |
Series | Tamron Hall | Self - Guest | 2019-09-09 |
Movie | Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool | Self | 2019-08-23 |
Movie | Last Flag Flying | Mrs. Hightower | 2017-11-03 |
Movie | Showing Roots | Hattie | 2016-04-23 |
Movie | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise | Herself | 2016-10-14 |
Movie | And the Oscar Goes To... | Self (archive footage) | 2014-02-01 |
Movie | The Trip to Bountiful | Mrs. Watts | 2014-03-08 |
Series | How to Get Away with Murder | Ophelia Harkness | 2014-09-25 |
Series | Madam Secretary | Flo Avery | 2014-09-21 |
Series | House of Cards | Doris Jones | 2013-02-01 |
Movie | The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia | Mama Kay | 2013-02-01 |
Movie | Alex Cross | Nana Mama | 2012-10-18 |
Movie | The Help | Constantine Jefferson | 2011-08-09 |
Movie | Why Did I Get Married Too? | Ola | 2010-04-02 |
Movie | Relative Stranger | Pearl | 2009-03-14 |
Movie | Fat Rose and Squeaky | Celine | 2006-08-11 |
Movie | Madea's Family Reunion | Myrtle | 2006-02-24 |
Movie | Idlewild | Mother Hopkins | 2006-08-25 |
Movie | Because of Winn-Dixie | Gloria Dump | 2005-02-18 |
Movie | Diary of a Mad Black Woman | Myrtle | 2005-02-25 |
Series | The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer | Unknown | 2005-08-08 |
Movie | The Rosa Parks Story | Leona Edwards McCauley | 2002-02-24 |
Movie | Jewel | Cathedral | 2001-02-07 |
Series | Aftershock: Earthquake in New York | Emily Lincoln | 1999-11-14 |
Movie | A Lesson Before Dying | Tante Lou | 1999-05-22 |
Series | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ondine Burdett | 1999-09-20 |
Movie | Always Outnumbered | Luvia | 1998-03-21 |
Series | Mama Flora's Family | Mama Flora | 1998-11-08 |
Movie | Blessed Assurance | Vesta Lotte Battle | 1997-08-17 |
Movie | Ms. Scrooge | Ms. Ebenita Scrooge | 1997-12-10 |
Movie | Hoodlum | Stephanie St. Clair | 1997-08-27 |
Movie | The Road to Galveston | Jordan Roosevelt | 1996-01-24 |
Series | The Outer Limits | Unknown | 1995-03-26 |
Movie | Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All | Castralia | 1994-05-01 |
Series | Sweet Justice | 1994-09-15 | |
Movie | House of Secrets | Evangeline | 1993-10-31 |
Movie | Duplicates | Dr. Randolph | 1992-03-18 |
Movie | Fried Green Tomatoes | Sipsey | 1991-12-27 |
Movie | Heat Wave | Ruthana Richardson | 1990-08-13 |
Movie | The Kid Who Loved Christmas | Etta Mercer | 1990-12-14 |
Series | B.L. Stryker | Unknown | 1989-02-13 |
Movie | The Women of Brewster Place | Mrs. Browne | 1989-03-19 |
Series | LIVE with Kelly and Mark | Self - Guest | 1988-09-05 |
Movie | Acceptable Risks | Janet Framm | 1986-03-02 |
Movie | Intimate Encounters | Dr. Claire Dalton | 1986-09-28 |
Movie | Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story | Muriel | 1986-05-19 |
Movie | Playing with Fire | Carol Phillips | 1985-04-13 |
Movie | Benny's Place | Odessa | 1982-05-31 |
Movie | Night of 100 Stars | Self | 1982-03-08 |
Movie | Bustin' Loose | Vivian Perry | 1981-05-22 |
Movie | The Marva Collins Story | Marva Collins | 1981-12-01 |
Movie | The Concorde... Airport '79 | Elaine | 1979-08-17 |
Series | King | Coretta Scott King | 1978-02-12 |
Series | A Woman Called Moses | Harriet Ross Tubman | 1978-12-11 |
Series | Roots | Binta | 1977-01-23 |
Movie | A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich | Sweets | 1977-12-14 |
Movie | Wilma | Blanche Rudolph | 1977-12-19 |
Movie | The Blue Bird | Tylette | 1976-04-05 |
Movie | The River Niger | Mattie Williams | 1976-04-14 |
Movie | Just an Old Sweet Song | Priscilla Simmons | 1976-09-25 |
Series | Saturday Night Live | Self - Host / Wilma Bass / Various | 1975-10-11 |
Movie | The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman | Jane Pittman | 1974-01-31 |
Movie | AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to James Cagney | Herself | 1974-03-18 |
Movie | Free to Be… You and Me | Self | 1974-03-11 |
Series | The American Film Institute Salute to ... | Self | 1973-04-02 |
Movie | Sounder | Rebecca Morgan | 1972-09-24 |
Series | Emergency! | Unknown | 1972-01-22 |
Movie | Marriage: Year One | Emma Teasley | 1971-10-15 |
Movie | Neighbors | 1971-11-18 | |
Series | The Flip Wilson Show | Unknown | 1970-09-17 |
Movie | To Be Young, Gifted and Black: The World of Lorraine Hansberry in Her Own Words | 1969-03-02 | |
Series | The Bill Cosby Show | Unknown | 1969-09-14 |
Movie | The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter | Portia Copeland | 1968-07-31 |
Series | Judd for the Defense | Unknown | 1967-09-08 |
Movie | The Comedians | Marie Therese | 1967-10-31 |
Movie | A Man Called Adam | Claudia Ferguson | 1966-03-16 |
Series | Mission: Impossible | Unknown | 1966-09-17 |
Series | The F.B.I. | Lainey Harber | 1965-09-19 |
Series | East Side/West Side | 1963-09-23 | |
Series | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Unknown | 1962-10-01 |
Movie | Odds Against Tomorrow | Jazz Club Bartender (uncredited) | 1959-10-15 |
Movie | The Last Angry Man | Girl Left on Porch (uncredited) | 1959-10-22 |
Series | Naked City | Darlene Knox | 1958-09-30 |
Movie | Carib Gold | Dottie | 1957-09-30 |
Series | Tony Awards | Herself - Host | 1956-04-01 |
Series | Gunsmoke | Rachel Biggs | 1955-09-10 |
Series | The Oscars | Self | 1953-03-19 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |