R.I.P. Cicely Tyson

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Mister Tee
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Re: R.I.P. Cicely Tyson

Post by Mister Tee »

As I read Magilla's post here, my reaction was, wow, I never realized Tyson was that old when she did Miss Jane Pittman. This was only two years after her breakthrough with Sounder, and, given what was already commonly thought at that time about actresses being washed up by that age, I was surprised I never heard more about how odd it was for a non-character actress to essentially get her career started at 48.

Well, come to find (from Mark Harris' Twitter, but confirmed by Tyson's IMDB page): it was only in 2013, when she won the Tony for A Trip to Bountiful, that Tyson's actual age was uncovered (by the New York Times) Though born in 1924, she had for years shaved off 9 years, and claimed to have been born in 1933. This made her Sounder arrival -- at 39 -- while not spring-chicken territory, not old enough to be viewed as utter freak of nature. (When the misrepresentation was uncovered, she shrugged it off -- possibly because it made her officially the oldest person ever to win a Tony.)

Her career peaked there in the 70s -- especially with Jane Pittman (which won her the Emmy, and might well have won an Oscar if it had been released in theatres) -- but she had a long and respectable run, which merits a strong salute.
Big Magilla
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Re: R.I.P. Cicely Tyson

Post by Big Magilla »

Like Cloris Leachman, whose death was reported yesterday, she had an amazing career albeit more so on TV than in films, where she received 15 Emmy nominations and three wins vs. one Oscar nomination for a legendary performance.

By coincidence, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, for which she won her first two Emmys in 1974, will be released on Blu-ray next Tuesday. She was 50 when she played that character so convincingly from the age of 23 to 110. If you've never seen it, you should.
danfrank
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Re: R.I.P. Cicely Tyson

Post by danfrank »

Wow. As a kid Cicely Tyson made a huge impression on me in movies like Sounder and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Always such a depth and a dignity to her.
Okri
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R.I.P. Cicely Tyson

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