Cicely Tyson died Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021 at the age of 96.
In contrast to the flashy, formulaic Blaxploitation films of the seventies, Cicely Tyson’s body of work from the same era brought a kind of Black naturalism to the screen. Even with layer upon layer of makeup used to transform Tyson into 110-year-old Jane Pittman for the movie “Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” Tyson precisely portrayed Jane Pittman and the mannerism of a woman, from age 23 to 110, in a way that was familiar and recognizable to Black Americans. Tyson was relatable on screen and her brown skin and African features reflected African beauty, which was far less visible on movie or television screens, than in real life.
Tyson’s work as a lead actress was historically and culturally significant in the mainstream television and film industries which offered few, if any, authentic representations of Black women when she was in her prime. Tyson won two Emmy awards for her performance in the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, and received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her powerful portrayal of Rebecca Morgan in Sounder.
She also took home the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for best actress in the role of Carrie Watts in the Broadway play “Trip to Bountiful (2013).” However, she’s probably best known to younger generations for playing the part of Myrtle in “Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005),” and “Madea’s family reunion (2006),” and as the mother of Annalise Keating, Viola Davis’ character, in the television series “How to Get Away with Murder (2014-2020).”
Tyson had one daughter and married three times, most famously to musician Miles Davis in 1981. He credited her with helping him get off drugs. They divorced in 1987.
In 2016, Tyson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2020.
