Cicely Tyson, actress in 'Roots,' 'The Help,' passes away at 96

She died at the age of 96 after a long life of work in films and television series. In 2017, she got an Honorary Oscar - not only for her acting talent but also for her significant contributions to the cause of African-American actresses, as she had struggled for decades in an industry marked by discrimination. Let's have a look at Cicely Tyson's main roles in cinema and TV shows.

Born in Harlem, New York, Cicely Tyson was the daughter of Caribbean immigrants. Her father worked as a carpenter, painter and other manual trades, and her mother was a housewife. Cicely began her artistic career as a model, in in 1956 she had her first acting role. Her role in the film 'Sounder' got her an Oscar nomination in 1973. It tells the story of an African-American family during the Great Depression.

In 1975, 'The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman' came out. Cicely Tyson played the lead role of a 110-year-old African-American woman revisiting her long life, starting with her childhood as an enslaved girl. She was nominated for a BAFTA, won an Emmy award, and consolidated her status as a Hollywood star rubbing shoulders with other big stars on the red carpet.

Cicely Tyson also participated in a worldwide television milestone: the series 'Roots', which follows the family of Kunta Kinte, a man taken from Africa and enslaved in the United States. The TV production told the story of American slavery from the perspective of the enslaved and became a massive success in the 1970s. Tyson won another Emmy for her role in 'Roots'.

Cicely Tyson won her third Emmy for 'Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All', a miniseries about the Civil War in which she reprised her role as an enslaved woman.

In 1991 Cicely Tyson appeared in the blockbuster 'Fried Green Tomatoes', a Southern melodrama centering on women remembering different milestones in their lives.

In another famous Southern story, twenty years later, Cicely Tyson plays the nanny and maid Constantine Jefferson. Indeed, it's the movie 'The Help' in 2011.

Cicely Tyson has been a permanent presence in American film and television and, in some ways, an African-American icon. As such, she has been honored and awarded numerous times.

The once poor girl from Harlem had princesses wanting to take a photo with her.

Cicely Tyson continued working until the end. Awarded with an Oscar in 2017, she appeared in 'House of cards,' 'How to Get Away with Murder,' and 'Cherish the Day.'

Cicely Tyson was also a major stage actress and achieved great success on Broadway. She won a Tony Award for her work in 'The Trip to Bountiful.'

With Cicely Tyson, Hollywood loses a figure who's part of film and television history as well as an African-American icon. She was the example of a woman who fought her way from humble beginnings to Hollywood stardom.

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