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Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson

Actor, also producer · Died January 28, 2021, aged 96 · New York City, New York, USA

Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924 – January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson received various awards including three Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Tony Award, an Honorary Academy Award, and a Peabody Award. Description above from the Wikipedia article Cicely Tyson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 19, 1924
Died
January 28, 2021 (aged 96)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
52 on MovieCove · 88 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Up 6% in 30 days

What are Cicely Tyson's films like?

Across their 37 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama17 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
25%
Self
21%
Survival
17%
Society
14%
Morality
11%
Power
9%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds15 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief7 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 33 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 11 · Dark 14

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 26 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 19 · Intense 9

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 16 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 24 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 20 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 16 · Engaged 17 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 14

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 31 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

23 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 9 of 23 analyzed roles.

Mentor
9 of 23
Ally
6 of 23
Hero
5 of 23
Herald
2 of 23
Shadow
1 of 23
Show the 23 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
18
Melancholic
20
Hopeful
19
Warm
16
Bittersweet
7
Other
20

How their films linger

Hopeful25 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet25
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Cicely Tyson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 30 of their 52 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Cicely Tyson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

88 credits, 52 with a MovieCove page; 22 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Cherish the Day(2020)

    Show 7 episodes · as Miss Luma Lee Langston

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

  • A Fall from Grace(2020)

    as Alice

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Other Boys of Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Narrator

  • Last Flag Flying(2017)

    as Mrs. Hightower

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Showing Roots(2016)

    as Hattie

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • How to Get Away with Murder(2014)

    Show 10 episodes · as Ophelia Harkness

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Madam Secretary(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Flo Avery

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • The Trip to Bountiful(2014)

    Producer · as Mrs. Watts

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • House of Cards(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · as Doris Jones

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia(2013)

    as Mama Kay

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Alex Cross(2012)

    as Nana Mama

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Help(2011)

    as Constantine Jefferson

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Why Did I Get Married Too?(2010)

    as Ola

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Relative Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Pearl

  • Idlewild(2006)

    as Mother Hopkins

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Fat Rose and Squeaky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Celine

  • Madea's Family Reunion(2006)

    as Myrtle

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Diary of a Mad Black Woman(2005)

    as Myrtle

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Because of Winn-Dixie(2005)

    as Gloria Dump

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Rosa Parks Story(2002)

    as Leona Edwards McCauley

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Proud Family(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Maureen Parker (voice)

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Jewel(2001)

    as Cathedral

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Aftershock: Earthquake in New York(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · as Emily Lincoln

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Ondine Burdett

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • A Lesson Before Dying(1999)

    as Tante Lou

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Mama Flora's Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · as Mama Flora

  • Always Outnumbered (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Luvia

  • Ms. Scrooge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Ms. Ebenita Scrooge

  • Hoodlum(1997)

    as Stephanie St. Clair

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Blessed Assurance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Vesta Lotte Battle

  • Riot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Maggie

  • Bridge of Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Guardian

  • The Road to Galveston(1996)

    as Jordan Roosevelt

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Outer Limits(1995)

    Show 2 episodes · as Justice Gretchen Parkhurst

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Touched by an Angel(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Abigail Peabody-Jackson

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • Sweet Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 22 episodes · Actor

  • Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Castralia

  • Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 2 episodes · as Castalia

  • House of Secrets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Evangeline

  • When No One Would Listen(1992)

    as Sarah

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Duplicates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Dr. Randolph

  • Fried Green Tomatoes(1991)

    as Sipsey

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Kid Who Loved Christmas(1990)

    as Etta Mercer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Heat Wave(1990)

    as Ruthana Richardson

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Women of Brewster Place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Mrs. Browne

  • The Women of Brewster Place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 2 episodes · as Mrs. Browne

  • B.L. Stryker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Intimate Encounters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Dr. Claire Dalton

  • Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story(1986)

    as Muriel

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Acceptable Risks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Janet Framm

  • An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Actor

  • Playing with Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Carol Phillips

  • Benny's Place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Odessa

  • The Marva Collins Story(1981)

    as Marva Collins

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Bustin' Loose(1981)

    as Vivian Perry

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Concorde... Airport '79(1979)

    as Elaine

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • A Woman Called Moses(1978)

    Show 2 episodes · as Harriet Ross Tubman

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • King(1978)

    Show 3 episodes · as Coretta Scott King

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Wilma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Blanche Rudolph

  • A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich(1977)

    as Sweets

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Roots(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Binta

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Just an Old Sweet Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Priscilla Simmons

  • The Blue Bird(1976)

    as Tylette

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The River Niger(1976)

    as Mattie Williams

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman(1974)

    as Jane Pittman

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Sounder(1972)

    as Rebecca Morgan

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Emergency!(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Johnson

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Neighbors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Vicky Gunther

  • Marriage: Year One(1971)

    as Emma Teasley

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Courtship of Eddie's Father(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Betty Kelly

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • The Bill Cosby Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Mildred Hermosa

  • To Be Young, Gifted and Black: The World of Lorraine Hansberry in Her Own Words (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Actor

  • The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter(1968)

    as Portia Copeland

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Comedians(1967)

    as Marie Therese

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Cowboy in Africa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Julie Anderson

  • Judd, for the Defense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Mission: Impossible(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as Alma Ross

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • A Man Called Adam(1966)

    as Claudia Ferguson

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The F.B.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Julie Harmon · as Lainey Harber

  • East Side/West Side (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 26 episodes · Actor

  • A Morning For Jimmy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Sister

  • The Last Angry Man(1959)

    as Girl Left on Porch (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Odds Against Tomorrow(1959)

    as Jazz Club Bartender (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Naked City(1958)

    Show 1 episode · as Darlene Knox

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Carib Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Dottie

  • Gunsmoke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Rachel Biggs

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Marva Collins

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 88 titles from 1951 to 2020; peak year 2005.

Biggest box office

The Help (2011)

$222M worldwide

Highest rated

The Help (2011)

Midcredits 98th

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19512020

Peak 2005 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 5 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting88 of 88: 88 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score66th

By decade

1950s6 · acting1960s12 · acting1970s14 · acting1980s11 · acting1990s22 · acting2000s10 · acting2010s11 · acting2020s2 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 10% of 21 roles
67770207

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Cicely Tyson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 36; across their 33 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Reach · how many have seen their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Midcredits score across 52 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th13
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 52 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved11
  • Divisive3
  • Cult Classic4
  • Crowd Pleaser16
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed17

Most divisive · actor

Cherish the Day (2020)

95th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Help (2011)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Cicely Tyson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles13–53 · median 47 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles9–52 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles32–85 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles28–53 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles17–71 · median 48 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Cicely Tyson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Cicely Tyson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Tyler Perry shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers