Cicely Tyson obituary: Sounder and How to Get Away with Murder star dies aged 96

Cicely Tyson, one of the most celebrated African-American actresses of all time, has passed away at the grand age of 96.

The two-time Emmy winner’s death was confirmed by her manager last night.

Born in Harlem, New York, Tyson was discovered by a fashion editor at Ebony magazine and quickly rose to the top of the modelling industry.

Having made her acting debut in the drama Carib Gold (1957), she followed that up with a lucrative role as office secretary Jane Foster in the George C. Scott-starring crime series East Side/West Side (1963-64).

Her appearance in the latter was a significant one as it marked the first time an African-American actress had tackled a major role in a television series.

She then popped up in the drama The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968) and followed that up with guest parts in The Bill Cosby Show (1970) and Mission: Impossible (1970).

Tyson soon received plaudits for her powerful role as Rebecca, the matriarch of a struggling share-cropping family in the drama Sounder (1972). She would snag Best Actress nominations for her performance at the Golden Globes and Oscars.

Another lauded role was as former slave-turned-civil rights activist Jane Pittman in the television drama The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974). Tyson would receive the first of two Emmys for her performance as well as a BAFTA nomination.

She continued to produce terrific work in various 1970s projects including her guest role as Kunta Kinte’s mother Binta in the groundbreaking series Roots (1977) and as Martin Luther King’s wife Coretta Scott King in the television biopic King (1978).

After appearing in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Tyson would later win her second Emmy for her guest performance as Castalia in the Civil War-based drama Oldest Living Confederate Tells All (1994).

In her later years, she contributed solid roles in the likes of Sweet Justice (1994-95), A Lesson Before Dying (1999), Ride to Freedom: The Rosa Parks Story (2002), The Help (2011) and the television remake of The Trip to Bountiful (2014).

After three guest appearances in House of Cards (2016), Tyson’s last notable role came as Ophelia Harkness, the elderly mother of crusading law professor Annalise Keating in the crime series How to Get Away with Murder (2015-20).

She would receive a further five Emmy nominations for her guest stint in ten episodes.

However, her biggest honours came with receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2016 as well as being awarded an Honorary Oscar in 2019.

Coincidentally, her memoir “Just As I Am” was published on Tuesday.

Tyson is survived by her daughter as well as her niece, the actress Cathy Tyson.

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