Cicely Tyson was born in Harlem, New York City, where she was raised by
her devoutly religious parents, who had come from the Caribbean island
of Nevis. Her mother Theodosia was a domestic worker and her her father
William was a carpenter and painter.
Tyson 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
Das Herz ist ein einsamer Jäger (1968).
Four years later, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best
Actress for her sensational performance in the critically-acclaimed
film Das Jahr ohne Vater (1972). In 1974, she went on
to portray a 110-year-old former slave in
Die Geschichte der Jane Pittman (1974),
which earned her two Emmy Awards. She also appeared in the television
miniseries Roots: The Complete Miniseries (1977),
King (1978), and
A Woman Called Moses (1978).
While Cicely has not appeared steadily onscreen because of her loyalty
to solely portraying strong, positive images of Black women, she is
definitely one of the most talented, beautiful actresses who ever graced
stage or screen.
