Tyson, Cicely (1933–)
Tyson, Cicely (1933–)
African-American stage, tv, and screen actress. Born Dec 19, 1933, in New York, NY; m. Miles Davis (jazz trumpeter), 1981 (div. 1988).
Began career as a model; made NY stage debut in The Cool World (1960), followed by The Blacks, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, Trumpets of the Lord, A Hand is on the Gates, Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights, and To Be Young Gifted and Black, among others; made film debut in A Man Called Adam (1966); other films include The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (as Portia), The Comedians, The River Niger, The Blue Bird, A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich, Bustin' Loose, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Grass Harp, and Hoodlum; on tv, appeared on "East Side West Side" (1963–64), "Roots" (1977), "King" (as Coretta Scott King, 1978), "The Marva Collins Story" (1981), and "Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All" (1994); co-founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem with Arthur Mitchell. Nominated for Oscar as Best Actress for Sounder (1972); won Emmy for "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" (1974).