Tyson, Cicely

Tyson, Cicely

(1942– ) actress; born in New York City. Daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis, she was raised in poverty. She worked as a secretary and a model while establishing herself as an actress. With Arthur Mitchell, she cofounded the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Her stage and television credits include the film Sounder (1972), the miniseries Roots (1977), and the television movie The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), for which she won an Emmy. She was briefly married to jazz trumpeter Miles Davis.