She also acted in films such as A Man Called Adam (1966), The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), The River Niger (1976), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), The Help (2011) and Last Flag Flying (2017).

She was Emmy-nominated for her roles in Roots (1977), King (1978), Sweet Justice (1995), A Lesson Before Dying (1999), The Trip to Bountiful (2013) and How to Get Away With Murder (2015–2020).

[9] She made her final Broadway appearance starring in the revival of The Gin Game (2016), opposite James Earl Jones.

Her first acting role was a bit part in the 1956 film Carib Gold[16] and she first appeared onstage in Vinnette Carroll's production of Dark of the Moon at the Harlem YMCA in 1958.

[citation needed] In the early 1960s, Tyson appeared in the original cast of French playwright Jean Genet's The Blacks.

She played the role of Stephanie Virtue Secret-Rose Diop; other cast members included Maya Angelou, James Earl Jones, Godfrey Cambridge, Louis Gossett Jr., and Charles Gordone.

[15][22] In 1963, Tyson appeared on the game show To Tell The Truth as an "imposter" for Australian singer Shirley Abicair, receiving two of the four possible votes.

[23] Tyson, who once worked for a social services agency, was spotted by producer David Susskind in The Blacks and in Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright, and was cast for a role in the CBS TV series East Side/West Side (1963–1964), playing the secretary of a social worker played by George C.

"[34] In 1974, Tyson played the title role in the CBS television film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.

"[36] Tyson's television roles included: Binta in the 1977 miniseries Roots, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie; Coretta Scott King in the 1978 miniseries King, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie; Marva Collins in the 1981 television film The Marva Collins Story, for which she received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie;[31] and Muriel in the 1986 television film Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story, for which she received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.

[40] In the 1994–95 television series Sweet Justice, Tyson portrayed a civil rights activist and attorney named Carrie Grace Battle, a character she modeled after Dovey Johnson Roundtree.

That same year, she played Constantine Jefferson, a maid in Jackson, Mississippi, in the critically acclaimed period drama The Help.

[51] Beginning in 2014, Tyson guest-starred on How to Get Away with Murder as Ophelia Harkness, the mother of main character Annalise Keating (Viola Davis); for this role, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

They were married on November 26, 1981, in a ceremony conducted by Atlanta mayor Andrew Young at the home of actor Bill Cosby.

[60] Tyson was godmother to the singer Lenny Kravitz, having been friends with his mother, actress Roxie Roker, as well as to Denzel Washington's daughter Katia and Tyler Perry's son Aman.

[67] Her funeral was held on February 16 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, and was attended by Tyler Perry, her godson Lenny Kravitz, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

After her death, former President Barack Obama released a statement, reading in part, "Michelle and I were honored when Cicely came to The White House to accept the Medal of Freedom, knowing she was one of the many giants upon whose shoulders we stood — a trailblazer whose legacy couldn't be measured by her Emmys and Tony and Oscar alone, but by the barriers she broke and the dreams she made possible.

"[70] Vice President Kamala Harris praised her for "inspir[ing] the world with her art, activism, and altruism".

Tyson's How To Get Away with Murder co-star Viola Davis wrote that she "made me feel loved and seen and valued" and gave her "permission to dream".

Numerous members of the entertainment industry also paid tribute, including Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Regina King, Halle Berry, Kerry Washington, Tessa Thompson, Zendaya, Zoë Kravitz, Rihanna, Tracee Ellis Ross, LeVar Burton, Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes and Rita Moreno.

[72][73][74] During her prolific career she acted in film and television projects such as The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), Sounder (1972), The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), Roots (1977), A Woman Called Moses (1978), Bustin' Loose (1981), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), A Lesson Before Dying (1999), Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), Idlewild (2006), The Help (2011), The Trip to Bountiful (2014), How to Get Away with Murder (2015–2020), House of Cards (2016), Last Flag Flying (2017), and A Fall From Grace (2020) Cicely Tyson is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Honorary Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award.

Tyson won three Primetime Emmy Awards for her work in television winning for, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994).

Tyson won her Honorary Academy Award in 2018 with the inscription reading, "Whose unforgettable performances and personal integrity have inspired generations of filmmakers, actors and audiences."

[79][80] Tyson was awarded the NAACP's 2010 Spingarn Medal for her contribution to the entertainment industry, her modeling career, and her support of civil rights.

[84] She was awarded the United States' highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama in November 2016.