Actress Cicely Tyson dies at 96
January 28, 2021 10:14 PM Subscribe
In a remarkable career of many decades, she refused to take parts that demeaned Black people and won a Tony, Emmys and an honorary Oscar.
It boggles my mind that she was 96 but some of the obits I’ve read say she routinely lied about her age by ~15 years.
.
posted by janell at 10:25 PM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
.
posted by janell at 10:25 PM on January 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:49 PM on January 28, 2021
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:49 PM on January 28, 2021
.
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:57 PM on January 28, 2021
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:57 PM on January 28, 2021
When I was about ten, I read an article about Cicely Tyson in a magazine—Reader’s Digest, I think; I must have been in a waiting room or something. I didn’t know who she was but there was something compelling about her that made me read the article and still clearly remember it 35 years later.
.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:44 AM on January 29, 2021
.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:44 AM on January 29, 2021
.
posted by reedcourtneyj at 1:55 AM on January 29, 2021
posted by reedcourtneyj at 1:55 AM on January 29, 2021
Oh, man. Her memoir, Just As I Am, just came out this week.
I remember watching her in the movie Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman when it came out when I was probably in junior high and it made a huge impression on me—both the story and her amazing acting.
She will be missed.
posted by bookmammal at 5:19 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
I remember watching her in the movie Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman when it came out when I was probably in junior high and it made a huge impression on me—both the story and her amazing acting.
She will be missed.
posted by bookmammal at 5:19 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
That's her on the cover of Miles Davis' 1967 album Sorcerer.
Also, she was fab last year as an aged film actress in Ava DuVernay's series "Cherish The Day."
.
posted by mediareport at 6:20 AM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
Also, she was fab last year as an aged film actress in Ava DuVernay's series "Cherish The Day."
.
posted by mediareport at 6:20 AM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
.
She was interviewed this week on All Things Considered in anticipation of her memoir, which came out on January 26. The interview is worth a listen.
If someone were to write the story of your life as a novel, I don't think people would believe it. You started modeling at the age of 30, when most models are hanging up their stilettos. You got your first starring role when you were nearly 50. I mean, crazy.
[Laughs] That's life, at least mine. Well, it's remarkable to me that I have arrived at where I am today because I had not anticipated it. I made the decision based on things that happened to me along the way, and I just kept going. You know, no matter what happened in my life, it did not deter me from reaching the goal that I had set for myself.
posted by ChuraChura at 6:35 AM on January 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
She was interviewed this week on All Things Considered in anticipation of her memoir, which came out on January 26. The interview is worth a listen.
If someone were to write the story of your life as a novel, I don't think people would believe it. You started modeling at the age of 30, when most models are hanging up their stilettos. You got your first starring role when you were nearly 50. I mean, crazy.
[Laughs] That's life, at least mine. Well, it's remarkable to me that I have arrived at where I am today because I had not anticipated it. I made the decision based on things that happened to me along the way, and I just kept going. You know, no matter what happened in my life, it did not deter me from reaching the goal that I had set for myself.
posted by ChuraChura at 6:35 AM on January 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:42 AM on January 29, 2021
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:42 AM on January 29, 2021
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is on HBO, fwiw.
posted by mediareport at 6:53 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by mediareport at 6:53 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
.
posted by jim in austin at 8:17 AM on January 29, 2021
posted by jim in austin at 8:17 AM on January 29, 2021
.
The latest American Masters, How It Feels To Be Free, features her along with other groundbreaking artists: "... six iconic African American women entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process".
She will be missed.
posted by kristi at 8:53 AM on January 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
The latest American Masters, How It Feels To Be Free, features her along with other groundbreaking artists: "... six iconic African American women entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process".
She will be missed.
posted by kristi at 8:53 AM on January 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 8:57 AM on January 29, 2021
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 8:57 AM on January 29, 2021
Wow. How did I never know partnered with Miles Davis?
Talk about a proud and fiercely independent bad ass!
A life well lived to be sure, on the list to teach my daughters. . .
.
posted by goinWhereTheClimateSuitsMyClothes at 9:38 PM on January 31, 2021
Talk about a proud and fiercely independent bad ass!
A life well lived to be sure, on the list to teach my daughters. . .
.
posted by goinWhereTheClimateSuitsMyClothes at 9:38 PM on January 31, 2021
« Older If it ain't broke... | This is the most cheerful video on this topic I've... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
I have to give her a
!
posted by kinnakeet at 10:25 PM on January 28, 2021