Cicely Tyson on screen and stage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cicely Tyson was an African American actress noted for her groundbreaking work in film, television and theatre.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Carib Gold | Dottie (uncredited) | [1] |
| 1959 | Odds Against Tomorrow | Jazz Club bartender (uncredited) | [1] |
| 1959 | The Last Angry Man | Girl Left on Porch (uncredited) | [4][1] |
| 1960 | Who Was That Lady? | Not available (uncredited) | [5][6] |
| 1966 | A Man Called Adam | Claudia Ferguson | [1] |
| 1967 | The Comedians | Marie Therese | [1] |
| 1968 | The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter | Portia | [1] |
| 1972 | Sounder | Rebecca Morgan | [7] |
| 1976 | The Blue Bird | Tylette, The Cat | [1] |
| The River Niger | Mattie Williams | [1] | |
| 1978 | A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich | Sweets | [1] |
| 1979 | The Concorde... Airport '79 | Elaine | [1] |
| 1981 | Bustin' Loose | Vivian Perry | [1] |
| 1991 | Fried Green Tomatoes | Sipsey | [1] |
| 1997 | Hoodlum | Stephanie St. Clair | [8] |
| 2001 | The Double Dutch Divas! | Herself (uncredited) | [1] |
| 2005 | Because of Winn-Dixie | Gloria Dump | [1] |
| Diary of a Mad Black Woman | Myrtle | [9] | |
| 2006 | Madea's Family Reunion | Myrtle | [1] |
| Fat Rose and Squeaky | Celine | [1] | |
| Idlewild | Mother Hopkins | [1] | |
| 2007 | Rwanda Rising | Voice of Jeanette Nyirabagarwa | [1] |
| 2009 | Up from the Bottoms: The Search for the American Dream | Narrator | |
| 2010 | Why Did I Get Married Too? | Ola | |
| 2011 | The Help | Constantine Jefferson | |
| 2012 | Alex Cross | Regina "Nana Mama" Cross | |
| 2013 | The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia | Mamma Kay | |
| 2016 | Showing Roots | Hattie | |
| 2017 | Last Flag Flying | Mrs. Hightower | |
| 2020 | A Fall from Grace | Alice |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Frontiers of Faith | "The Bitter Cup" | [1] | |
| 1962 | The Nurses | Betty Ann Warner | Episode: "Frieda" | [1] |
| 1963 | To Tell the Truth | Decoy contestant | Episode: March 25, 1963 (decoy for Shirley Abicair) | [10] |
| Naked City | Episode: "Howard Running Bear Is a Turtle" | [1] | ||
| 1963–1964 | East Side/West Side | Jane Foster | 26 episodes | |
| 1965 | Slattery's People | Sarah Brookman | Episode: "Question: Who You Taking to the Main Event, Eddie?" | [1] |
| 1965–1966 | I Spy | Princess Amara Vickie Harmon |
2 episodes | [1] |
| 1966 | Guiding Light | Martha Frazier | [1] | |
| 1967 | Cowboy in Africa | Julie Anderson | Episode: "Tomorrow on the Wind" | [1] |
| Judd for the Defense | Lucille Evans | Episode: "Commitment" | [1] | |
| 1968–1969 | The F.B.I. | Julie Harmon Lainey Harber |
2 episodes | [1] |
| 1969 | Medical Center | Susan Wiley | Episode: "The Last 10 Yards" | [1] |
| The Courtship of Eddie's Father | Betty Kelly | Episode: "Guess Who's Coming for Lunch" | [1] | |
| 1970 | Gunsmoke | Rachel Biggs | Episode: "The Scavengers" | [1] |
| Mission: Impossible | Alma Ross | Episode: "Death Squad" | [1] | |
| The Bill Cosby Show | Mildred Hermosa | Episode: "Blind Date" | [1] | |
| Here Come the Brides | Princess Lucenda | Episode: "A Bride for Obie Brown" | [1] | |
| 1971 | Marriage: Year One | Emma Teasley | [1] | |
| Neighbors | [1] | |||
| 1972 | Emergency! | Mrs. Johnson | Episode: "Crash" | [1] |
| Soul Train | [1] | |||
| Wednesday Night Out | [1] | |||
| 1974 | The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman | Jane Pittman | ||
| Free to Be… You and Me | Herself | [1] | ||
| 1976 | Just an Old Sweet Song | Priscilla Simmons | [1] | |
| 1977 | Roots | Binta | Miniseries | [1] |
| Wilma | Blanche Rudolph | [1] | ||
| 1978 | King | Coretta Scott King | Miniseries | [1] |
| A Woman Called Moses | Harriet Ross Tubman | [1] | ||
| 1979 | Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Cicely Tyson/Talking Heads" | [1] |
| 1981 | The Body Human: Becoming a Woman | Host | [1] | |
| The Marva Collins Story | Marva Collins | |||
| 1982 | Benny's Place | Odessa | [1] | |
| 1985 | Playing with Fire | Carol Phillips | [1] | |
| 1986 | Intimate Encounters | Dr. Claire Dalton | [1] | |
| Acceptable Risks | Janet Framm | [1] | ||
| Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story | Muriel | |||
| 1989 | The Women of Brewster Place | Mrs. Browne | [1] | |
| 1990 | The Kid Who Loved Christmas | Etta | [1] | |
| B.L. Stryker | Ruth Hastings | Episode: "Winner Takes All" | [1] | |
| Heat Wave | Ruthana Richardson | |||
| 1991 | Clippers | Donna | Short | [1] |
| 1992 | Duplicates | Dr. Randolph | [1] | |
| When No One Would Listen | Sarah | [1] | ||
| 1993 | House of Secrets | Evangeline | [1] | |
| 1994 | Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All | Castralia Marsden Family House Slave/Maid |
||
| 1994–1995 | Sweet Justice | Carrie Grace Battle | ||
| 1996 | The Road to Galveston | Jordan Roosevelt | ||
| 1997 | Bridge of Time | Guardian | [1] | |
| Riot | Maggie | Segment: "Homecoming Day" | [11] | |
| Ms. Scrooge | Ms. Ebenita Scrooge | [1] | ||
| The Price of Heaven (Blessed Assurance) | Vesta Lotte Battle | [1] | ||
| 1998 | Always Outnumbered | Luvia | [1] | |
| Mama Flora's Family | Mama Flora | |||
| 1999 | A Lesson Before Dying | Tante Lou | ||
| Aftershock: Earthquake in New York | Emily Lincoln | [1] | ||
| 2000 | Touched by an Angel | Abigail Peabody-Jackson | Episode: "Living the Rest of My Life" | [1] |
| The Outer Limits | Justice Gretchen Parkhurst | Episode: "Final Appeal" | [1] | |
| 2001 | Jewel | Cathedral | [1] | |
| The Proud Family | Mrs. Maureen Parker (voice) | Episode: "Behind Family Lines" | [12] | |
| 2002 | The Rosa Parks Story | Leona Edwards McCauley | ||
| 2005 | Higglytown Heroes | Great Aunt Shirley Hero (voice) | Episode: "Wayne's 100 Special Somethings" | [1] |
| 2009 | Relative Stranger | Pearl | ||
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ondine Burdett | Episode: "Hell" | [13] | |
| 2014 | The Trip to Bountiful | Mrs. Carrie Watts | TV movie | |
| 2015–2020 | How to Get Away with Murder | Ophelia Harkness | 10 episodes
Guest (season 1-5), recurring (season 6) |
|
| 2016 | House of Cards | Doris Jones | 3 episodes | [14] |
| 2019 | Madam Secretary | Flo Avery | Episode: "Leaving the Station" | [15] |
| 2020 | Cherish the Day | Miss Luma Lee Langston | Series regular | [16] |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Dark of the Moon | Little Theatre | [17] | |
| 1959 | Jolly's Progress | Jolly (understudy) | Longacre Theatre | [18] |
| 1960 | The Cool World | Girl | Eugene O'Neill Theatre | [19] |
| 1961 | The Blacks: A Clown Show | Stephanie Virtue Diop | St. Mark's Playhouse | [17][20] |
| 1962 | Moon on a Rainbow Shawl | East 11th Street Theater | [17] | |
| Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright | Celeste Chipley Adelaide Smith (understudy) |
Booth Theatre | [21] | |
| 1963 | The Blue Boy in Black | Joan | Masque Theatre | [17][22] |
| Trumpets of the Lord | Rev. Marion Alexander | Astor Place Theatre | [17][23] | |
| 1966 | A Hand Is on the Gate | Performer | Longacre Theatre | [24] |
| 1968 | Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights | Myrna Jessup | John Golden Theatre | [17][25] |
| 1969 | To Be Young, Gifted and Black | Various | Cherry Lane Theatre | [17][26] |
| Trumpets of the Lord | Rev. Marion Alexander | Brooks Atkinson Theatre | [27] | |
| 1983 | The Corn Is Green | Miss Moffat | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre | [28][29] |
| 2013 | The Trip to Bountiful | Miss Carrie Watts | Stephen Sondheim Theatre | [30] |
| 2015 | The Gin Game | Fonsia Dorsey | John Golden Theater | [31] |
Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Sears Radio Theater | Host, Thursdays; "Love and Hate Night" | [32] |
