Cicely Tyson was born in December 19, 1924 and grew up in Harlem, New York. She passed away on January 28, 2021.
At 18, she quit her typing job to become a model. It is then that she started acting.
When she gets a first acting job, her mother kicks her out of their home as she considers acting as a sinful career.
But Cicely becomes a successful actress and appears onstage, in movies and on TV.
In 1963, she is the first African American star of a TV drama series East Side/ West Side where she plays the role of secretary Jane Foster.
Cicely refuses to do “blaxploitation” films and is selective about the roles she plays.
She wants to serve some purpose and not doing it only for the paycheck.
She is very well committed to the community and co-founded the Theater of Harlem.
A performing arts school in New Jersey is named after her, where she participates in school activities and teaches a master class.
During her career, she receives numerous acting awards and nominations and becomes a member of Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977.
In 2010, The National Association of the Advancement of Colored People presents Cicely with its 95th Spingarn Medal, which is an award given to African Americans who have reached outstanding levels of achievement.
In 2016, she is honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama.