Turner Classic Movies(TCM) will celebrate the life and career of iconic actress Cicely Tyson with a programming tribute on Sunday, January 31. Tyson passed away on January 28, 2021 at the age of 96. Cicely Tyson
Throughout her seven-plus decade career on stage and screen, Tyson was known for her dedication to truthfully exploring the broad spectrum of the African-American experience. Tyson was at the forefront of a shift away from one-dimensional, negative screen stereotypes of black women with her starring role in "Sounder" (1972), which was groundbreaking in its portrayal of the dignity, strength and courage of a Depression-era African-American family. The acclaimed film and Tyson's Oscar-nominated leading role opened the doors for a whole new era of black storytelling, and Tyson came to represent this strong and wise image of African-American women with revered performances in "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" (CBS, 1973) and "Roots" (ABC, 1977). Television movies offered the most opportunities for this actress with a mission, and she went on to recreate renowned moments and figures in African-American heritage in "King" (1978), "A Woman Called Moses" (1978), and "Heat Wave" (1990), among others. Whether playing an educated professional, the backbone of a challenged family, or a woman moved by an extraordinary sense of purpose, Tyson continually raised the standards of African-American imagery on film.
The following is the complete schedule for TCM's on-air tribute to Tyson:
TCM Remembers Cicely Tyson – Sunday, January 31
"Sounder" (1972) at 8:00 p.m. - Black sharecroppers during the Depression fight to get their children a decent education.
"A Man Called Adam" (1966) at 10:00 p.m. - A guilt-ridden jazz trumpeter blames himself for a car accident that killed his family.
Tyson broke barriers throughout her career, which earned her a Peabody Award, an honorary Oscar®, a Tony Award®, three Emmys®, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her most recent Emmy nomination came just last year. In 2018, she had her hand and footprints cemented in time at the TCM Chinese Theater Imax® in Hollywood during the TCM Classic Film Festival.
