Cicely Tyson's 6 Greatest Film and TV Roles
Cicely Tyson, a pioneer and icon of African-American cinema, passed away in early 2021.
Cicely Tyson was an icon of Black representation in film and television, with a career dating back over six decades. Viola Davis, Tyler Perry, Shonda Rhimes, and many other American actors and directors took to social media to pay the legendary performer a final tribute. "Cicely Tyson paved the way for several generations of actresses," wrote composer Quincy Jones.
Tyson left her mark on Hollywood with her engaging talent and refusal to accept roles that did not value Black women. In 2016, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, who said of her, "During her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not just been successful as an actress, she has shaped the course of history." She also received an Academy Honorary Award in 2018 for her contributions to film. Tyson leaves behind a memoir entitled Just as I Am: A Memoir and successful roles that have won her several awards including three Emmys.
On January 28, 2021, Cicely Tyson's longtime manager and friend Larry Thompson announced her passing at age 96. On what would have been the late actress' 98th birthday, L'OFFICIEL remembers six of the actress's greatest roles throughout her career.
Sounder
In 1972, Tyson played the role of Rebecca Morgan, the mother of a Black farming family, in the movie Sounder. When her husband Nathan, played by actor Paul Winfield, finds himself jailed for theft, she has to take care of her son on her own. A story simply told, but which, for many, is considered the actress's greatest cinematic achievement. She received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for the role.
The Help
Directed by Tate Taylor, the film tells the story of three women who, against all odds, forge bonds of friendship through their commitment to change things in a small, segregated 1960s Mississippi town. Cicely Tyson plays the role of Constantine Bates, the black housekeeper of Charlotte, a young white woman, played by Emma Stone. The film notably garnered Viola Davis, who would become her longtime friend, an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 2012.
Diary of a Mad Black Woman
In 2005, Cicely Tyson demonstrated her talent as an actress in a completely different register in Diary of a Mad Black Woman, an American comedy co-produced and directed by Tyler Perry. It's a family comedy centered around the fictional character of Mabel "Madea" Earlene Simmons, played by the director himself. Cicely Tyson stars as Myrtle Simmons, widow of William Simmons and Madea's daughter-in-law. The film, based on Perry's play of the same name, spawned several sequels, in only one of which Tyson reprised her character.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Produced by Jon Avnet, Fried Green Tomatoes, is one of the nostalgic films that defined the early 1990s. The feature film remains a cult classic that film aficionados of every generation continue to discover and rediscover over again. Through the tears and the laughs, the film begins with Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates), who, during a visit to Alabama, meets Ninny, a charming octogenarian. The women strike up a friendship, and Ninny relays the story of Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, two friends from her youth. Cicely Tyson takes on the role of Sipsey, the cook at Idgie's Whistle Stop Cafe.
Sweet Justice
In Sweet Justice, Cicely Tyson stars as Carrie Grace Battle, a renowned lawyer who runs a progressive law firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. For her role in the series, the actress won not only an Emmy Award and SAG Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
How to Get Away with Murder
It's impossible to discuss Tyson's career without mentioning her role in the successful Shondaland series How to Get Away with Murder. Throughout the series, Tyson played the recurring character Ophelia Harkness, mother to protagonist Annalise Keating (Viola Davis). Ophelia suffers from Alzheimer's, though the audience learns throughout the series about her complicated mother/daughter relationship with Annalise. The performance garnered her two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
