Editing Cicely Tyson (section)

{{Short description|American actress (1924–2021)}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Cicely Tyson
| image         = Cicely Tyson 1973 (cropped).jpg
| caption       = Tyson in 1973
| birth_name    = Cecily Louise Tyson<ref>{{cite news|title='Stars of Tomorrow' Enroll for Contest|url=https://www.mediafire.com/view/fjt0h42a4as8ije|work=[[New York Amsterdam News]]|date=May 23, 1953|quote=Close on her heels were Jean Johnson, a beautician of 435 W. 125th St., and Cecily Tyson, a fashion model, who lives at 311 E. 102nd St.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Cicely Tyson, Towering Award-Winning Star of Stage and Screen, Dies at 96|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/182174/cicely-tyson-towering-award-winning-star-of-stage-and-screen-dies-at-96/|work=[[Broadway.com]]|date=January 28, 2021|quote=Cicely Louise Tyson was born on December 18, 1924 in New York City.}}</ref>
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1924|12|19}}<ref name="dob">Elber, Lynn (January 23, 2020). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82758843 "Cicely Tyson Talks Life, Longevity and Love"]. ''Chicago Tribune''. p.&nbsp;36. "She described her annual birthday eve ritual. 'I sit at a table with a clock and when it gets to one minute after 12, that's when I say, "Thank You," and "Happy Birthday, Cicely,"' said Tyson, who was born December 19, 1924 in New York City." See also:
* Tyson, Cicely; Burford, Michelle (2021). ''Just as I Am: A Memoir''. New York, NY: HarperCollins. pp.&nbsp;16, 17, 368. {{ISBN|978-0-06-293106-1}} "My parents began their married life together in a Bronx tenement before later relocating to Manhattan's East Side. The year after they wed, they welcomed my brother, Melrose, a name my father had loved since the day he spotted it on a street sign in the Bronx. Six days before Christmas in 1924, I arrived with my thumb poked in my mouth and nary a strand of hair." [...] "After we'd moved from the Bronx to the East Side, Daddy would put me in my stroller early in the mornings and walk me over to Central Park." [...] "During the press blitzkrieg surrounding the Kennedy Center ceremony, I spoke that number aloud with nary a quake in my voice. 'When were you born?' one reporter asked me. 'December 19, 1924,' I answered.'"
* [https://www.playbill.com/person/cicely-tyson-vault-0000041721 "Cicely Tyson, performer"]. [[Playbill Vault]].
* Palm, Anika Myers (January 29, 2021). [http://lite.cnn.com/en/article/h_d91abe4af6ecc953c64fbe3d8e75df73 "Cicely Tyson, iconic and influential actress, dies at 96"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021052840/https://lite.cnn.com/en/article/h_d91abe4af6ecc953c64fbe3d8e75df73 |date=October 21, 2022 }}. [[CNN]]. "Tyson was born December 19, 1924, in New York to William and Theodosia Tyson."
* Dillon, Nancy; Greene, Leonard (January 29, 2021). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82765500 "Cicely Tyson Dies, 96; B'way, Hollywood star played strong women"]. ''New York Daily News''. "Cicely Tyson was born in Harlem on December 19, 1924."
* [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/31/cicely-tyson-obituary "Cicely Tyson Obituary"]. ''The Guardian''. January 31, 2021. "Cicely Tyson, actor, born 19 December 1924; died 28 January 2021."
* Tyson, Cicely (December 19, 2019). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=83039850 p.&nbsp;A8. "Thought of the Day"].''Kent County News''. "Cicely Tyson, American actress, born on this day in 1924."
* Democrat staff (December 19, 2018). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=83039710 "It's Your Birthday: Who's Celebrating Today"]. ''Tallahassee Democrat''. p.&nbsp;5B.
* Record-Journal staff (December 19, 2017). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=83039645 "Today in History"]. ''Meriden Record-Journal''. p. B6.
* Times staff (December 19, 2016). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=83039411 "Birthdays"]. ''The Salisbury Daily Times''. p&nbsp;.C6.</ref>{{efn|At the time of her death, numerous sources, most notably the New York Times, listed Tyson's date of birth as December 18, 1924. Indeed it was the Times, back in 2013, that had first broken the story, confirmed by Tyson, that the actress was in fact 88 years old, and thus born in December 1924 rather than 1933 as had been previously reported.<ref>Brantley, Ben (April 23, 2013). [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/theater/reviews/the-trip-to-bountiful-at-the-stephen-sondheim-theater.html "Home Is Where the Years Disappear"]. ''New York Times''.</ref> As Tyson explained in her 2021 memoir, "1933" was no mistake, but rather a prime example of the age-shaving initiated by her onetime manager and perpetuated by Tyson with the express intent of bypassing the pervasive age discrimination facing women in the industry. That said, no matter how many ''years'' mysteriously vanished along the way, the month and day of her birth, as cited in media accounts throughout Tyson's career, had remained a constant at December 19.<ref>* Herald-Palladium staff (December 18, 1976). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82708625/the-herald-palladium/ "What in the World: Birthdays (Sunday-Saturday)"]. ''The Herald-Palladium Family Weekend''. p.&nbsp;14.
* Associated Press (December 19, 1978). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82945454 "Today"]. ''Corvallis Gazette-Times''. p.&nbsp;11.
* Associated Press (1979). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82945875 "Today in History"]
* Bulletin staff (December 19, 1985). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82815587 "Today in History"]. ''Latrobe Bulletin''. p.&nbsp;20.
* Reporter-Times staff (December 19, 1987). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82814613/the-reporter-times/ "World Almanac Datebook: Dec. 19, 1987"]. ''The Martinsville Reporter-Times''. p.&nbsp;2.
* Bulletin staff (December 19, 1988). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82814919 "Today in History"]. ''Latrobe Bulletin''. p.&nbsp;21.
* Associated Press (December 19, 1989). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82815334 "Today in History"]. ''Lancaster Intelligencer Journal''. p.&nbsp;2.
* Star staff. (December 18, 1998) [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82815454 "Birthdates"]. ''The Windsor Star''. p.&nbsp;34.
* World staff (December 19, 2001). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82815215 "Today's Birthdays"]. ''Daily World''. p.&nbsp;28.
* World staff (December 19, 2018). [https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=82815060 "Celebrity Birthdays"]. ''Daily World''. p.&nbsp;B3.</ref> By contrast, the only source for the Times' 12/18 date seems to be a 1935 document, the Petition for Naturalization filed by Cicely's father William Augustine Tyson on July 31 of that year. The problem is that by that time, again as recounted in the 2021 memoir, it had been at least seven months—and perhaps as many as 10—since Mr. Tyson actually resided with his wife and children. The previous fall, no longer willing to put up with William's persistent and unrepentant adultery (not to mention his hair-trigger temper when confronted regarding this behavior), Fredericka Tyson had gathered their three children plus essential belongings and promptly moved to a new address, where her husband was welcome to visit—so as not to deprive their children of a father altogether—but no more than that.<ref>Tyson, Cicely; Burford, Michelle (2021). ''Just as I Am: A Memoir''. New York, NY: HarperCollins. pp.&nbsp;47–53. {{ISBN|978-0-06-293106-1}}.</ref> (Just how deep a rift had been opened up between the two may perhaps be gleaned from the 1940 U.S. Census entry for the Tyson family, now minus William, wherein all four remaining Tysons have retroactively been 'reborn' in South Carolina.) And so, coming some seven to 10 months after their informal separation, with his attention presumably even more divided than before, a slight lack of precision regarding his eldest daughter's birth date should not come as too great a surprise.}}
| birth_place   = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2021|1|28|1924|12|19}}
| death_place   = New York City, U.S.
| resting_place = [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]]
| spouse        = {{plainlist|
* {{Marriage|Kenneth Franklin|1942|1956|end=div}}
* {{Marriage|[[Miles Davis]]|1981|1989|end=div}}
}}
| children      = 1
| occupation    = Actress
| awards        = [[List of awards and nominations received by Cicely Tyson|Full list]]
| years_active  = 1948–2020
| relatives     = 
| notable_works = [[Cicely Tyson on screen and stage|Full list]]
}}

'''Cecily Louise''' "'''Cicely'''" '''Tyson''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|I|s|ə|l|iː}}; December 19, 1924{{spnd}}January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, she is known for her portrayals of complex and strong-willed African American women.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cicely-Tyson|title=Cicely Tyson|work=[[Britannica]]|access-date=April 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/top-lists/cicely-tyson-legendary-portrait-of-beauty-courage-and-strength/|title=Cicely Tyson: Legendary Portrait Of Beauty, Courage And Strength|work=CBS Sacramento|last=Melton|first=Lori|date=December 7, 2015|access-date=September 19, 2018}}</ref> She received [[List of awards and nominations received by Cicely Tyson|several awards]] including three [[Primetime Emmy Awards|Emmy Awards]], a [[Peabody Award]] and a [[Tony Awards|Tony Award]], as well as nominations for a [[BAFTA Award]] and a [[Golden Globe Award]]. She was awarded the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] in 2015, the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 2016, and the [[Academy Honorary Award|Honorary Academy Award]] in 2018.

She garnered widespread attention and critical acclaim for her performance as a Black mother facing adversity in the drama film ''[[Sounder (film)|Sounder]]'' (1972), for which she was nominated for both the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]. She also acted in films such as ''[[A Man Called Adam (film)|A Man Called Adam]]'' (1966), ''[[The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (film)|The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter]]'' (1968), ''[[The River Niger (film)|The River Niger]]'' (1976), ''[[Fried Green Tomatoes]]'' (1991), ''[[Diary of a Mad Black Woman]]'' (2005), ''[[Because of Winn-Dixie (film)|Because of Winn-Dixie]]'' (2005), ''[[The Help (film)|The Help]]'' (2011) and ''[[Last Flag Flying]]'' (2017).

On television, she broke barriers by taking a regular role on the [[CBS]] drama series ''[[East Side West Side (TV series)|East Side West Side]]'' (1963–1964). She won two [[Primetime Emmy Awards]], her first for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Best Lead Actress in a Drama]] for ''[[The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (film)|The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman]]'' (1974), and her second for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie]] for ''[[Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (film)|Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All]]'' (1994). She was Emmy-nominated for her roles in ''[[Roots (1977 miniseries)|Roots]]'' (1977), ''[[King (miniseries)|King]]'' (1978), ''[[Sweet Justice]]'' (1995), ''[[A Lesson Before Dying (film)|A Lesson Before Dying]]'' (1999), ''[[The Trip to Bountiful (play)|The Trip to Bountiful]]'' (2013) and ''[[How to Get Away With Murder]]'' (2015–2020).

In addition to her screen career, Tyson was known for her starring roles on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. She made her debut in the [[Lonnie Coleman]] play ''Jolly's Progress'' (1959), followed by ''[[Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright]]'' (1962), ''[[Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights]]'' (1968) and ''[[The Corn Is Green]]'' (1983). At age 88, she became the oldest winner for the [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play]] for her role in the revival of the [[Horton Foote]] play ''[[The Trip to Bountiful (play)|The Trip to Bountiful]]'' (2013).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/cicely-tyson|title= Cicely Tyson|website= [[National Women's History Museum]]|accessdate= November 11, 2024}}</ref> She made her final Broadway appearance starring in the revival of ''[[The Gin Game]]'' (2016), opposite [[James Earl Jones]].