Cicely Tysonâs Harlem: Dance, Jazz, Faith and Waffles
Cicely Tyson, who died in January, was famous all over the world. But her heart was at home, in Harlem.
Cicely Tyson was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in the 1972 movie “Sounder,” and won many other awards, but she never forgot Harlem.Credit.Bettmann, via Getty Images
Feb. 18, 2021
In her autobiography, âJust as I Am,â Cicely Tyson recalled arriving in the place she would consider home for the rest of her life.
It was the spring of 1927, and Ms. Tyson was a toddler when her family moved to East Harlem. âMy earliest memory is a street address,â she wrote. âThe memory is of arriving home and seeing the address on the building.â
Remembering Cicely Tyson
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Cicely Tyson, an acting legend for more than 70 years, died on Jan. 28. Her talents helped her to win awards, land stellar roles and be inducted into three difference Halls of Fame.
Born on Dec. 19, 1924, from Caribbean immigrants in Harlem, N.Y., Tyson grew up in a religious atmosphere.
At the age of 17, Tyson had a daughter whose father remains undercover.
In 1942, Tyson married Kenneth Franklin, who later abandoned her after less than eighteen months of marriage. It wasn’t until 1956 when the two were legally divorced.
Tyson worked a typing job as a single mother at the age of 18, until she was discovered by a photographer for Ebony magazine and started a successful career in fashion modeling.
Review: Cicely Tyson’s new memoir, ‘Just as I Am,’ is a gift Just as I Am, by Cicely Tyson. (HarperCollins Publishers/TNS)
Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times
“Just as I Am” by Cicely Tyson; HarperCollins (432 pages, $28.99)
“The art of acting is the art of exposing, an emotional unveiling before others,” writes Viola Davis, in her heartfelt introduction to Cicely Tyson’s memoir, “Just as I Am.”
It’s hard to think of a better description of this book; reading it feels as if you’re sitting in Tyson’s regal presence, hearing her tell stories about her life as a Black woman in America; an Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actor; a daughter, a mother, a wife. By its end, and long before that, you’re in awe – someone truly remarkable has unveiled herself to you.
Much of her reserve falls away in this book, as Cicely Tyson writes about her husband Miles Davis, her daughter, and other aspects of her personal life.
Just as I Am by Cicely Tyson; HarperCollins (432 pages, $28.99)
âââ The art of acting is the art of exposing, an emotional unveiling before others, writes Viola Davis, in her heartfelt introduction to Cicely Tyson s memoir, Just as I Am.
It s hard to think of a better description of this book; reading it feels as if you re sitting in Tyson s regal presence, hearing her tell stories about her life as a Black woman in America; an Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actor; a daughter, a mother, a wife. By its end, and long before that, you re in awe â someone truly remarkable has unveiled herself to you.