Cicely TYSONdead: Pioneering award winning Hollywood actress dies aged 96.
Emmy Award winning actress Cicely Tyson has died aged 96. She was a trailblazing personality that played strong African American characters on stage and screen.
Cicely Tyson, known for roles in Sounder and Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman, has died at the age of 96, her manager said.
Cicely, a former fashion model, became known for playing strong African American characters over a glittering career spanning seven decades.
The trailblazing actress won three Emmys, a SAG Award, a Tony and an honorary Academy Award.
Cicely died peacefully on Thursday, according to a statement. No cause of death was given.
Born in Harlem, Cicely started her career in fashion after being spotted by a photographer for Ebony magazine.
Her first film role came in 1956 B-movie Carib Gold and she followed it up with a ground-breaking stint on gritty TV drama East Side/West Side.
The series first aired in 1963 and marked the first time an African American starred in a television drama.
In 1972 came the role that brought Cicely widespread fame and acclaim. She played Rebecca Morgan in Sounder, a film about black sharecroppers trying to survive the Great Depression.
Cicely was nominated for both the Bafta and Oscar for best actress.
She won two Emmys for starring as a 110-year-old former slave in the 1974 TV film The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman and in 2016 was honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama, the highest civilian honour in the US.
At the time, Obama said: "Cicely's convictions and grace have helped for us to see the dignity of every single beautiful memory of the American family."
Cicely starred in 2011 period drama The Help, alongside Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.
Tributes have been pouring in for Miss Cicely who recently worked closely again with Viola Davis in How To Get Away With Murder. Viola leads the online tributes to her mentor and co-star on social media. The pioneering actress will be sadly missed.
Our thoughts are with family, friends and the many fans of Miss Cicely; we invite you to leave tributes for her below:
*Credit mirror.co.uk for the story.
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