Cecily Tyson - December 19, 1924 – January 28, 2021
Oscar-nominated actress Cicely Tyson dies aged 96 on the 28th January 2021.
Cecily started out as a fashion model.
Her last on-screen performance saw her appear alongside Viola Davis in 'How To Get Away With Murder' she played the actress’ mother.
Cecily won three Emmys, one Tony award and has also received nominations for an Oscar.
The roles she played reflected her values; she never compromised portraying strong Black Women in a career spanning seven decades - Cecily held strong black lead roles on stage and on screen.
In the early 1970s Cecily won an Emmy for her role as a young slave in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and starred in the ground-breaking 1977 TV series Roots.
The Help actress who had a career spanning over six decades was close friends with activist Maya Angelou and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2016.
Tyson married Jazz legend Miles Davis in 1981 in Bill Cosby’s home.
In 1972, she was nominated for the Academy Award for best actress for her role in the critically acclaimed Sounder and won a Golden Globe for the same role. Tyson won the Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a mini series for the for Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All In 1994
In 2013, the star made a return to Broadway after 30 years to star in the Trip to Bountiful – a role she won a best actress Tony award for.
The How To Get Away With Murder actor was awarded a hand and footprint ceremony at Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre in April 2018.
In her speech at the ceremony, she said: ‘When I think God knows that I have served his purpose, then he will call me. Not saying that I’m ready to go but I will hear him. Thank you!’
As for getting her hands and feet in cement, she told Variety: ‘It came as such a shock to me. I never expected it.’
· ‘I would look at the names of all the people who put their handprints there; it never occurred to me under any circumstances that I would be asked to do the same thing. It’s a very, very great honour for me.’
Cecily’s Legacy
Tyson’s legacy also includes her activism for promoting the arts. The Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts in East Orange, New Jersey promotes an artistic culture for teenage students.
Meeting the President of the U.S.A
About meeting the President of the U.S.A. ? It had to have been one of the most rewarding and unforgettable times times of her life.
A Black President rewarding her with Presidential Medal of Freedom. When Cecily was born and through her childhood she may have never dreamt to being presented with an award from the President of the U.S.A.
All copyrights apply - Video producer Yvonne YEW
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