Cicely Tyson, the iconic and incomparable screen and stage actress and Black American trailblazer, died on Thursday. She was 96.
Tyson, whose acting career spanned more than six decades, broke ground as a Black actress who resolved only to portray strong, positive and realistic images of Black women on screen. Her convictions resulted in astonishing performances in projects such as the films “Sounder” and “The Help,” the TV movie “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” and the 2013 Broadway production of “The Trip to Bountiful,” for which she won the Tony.
Tyson earned an Academy Award best actress nomination for “Sounder” in 1973.