# Cicely Tyson on screen and stage

Cicely Tyson was an African American actress noted for her groundbreaking work in film, television and theatre.

## Filmography

Sources:

### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1956 | Carib Gold | Dottie (uncredited) |
| 1959 | Odds Against Tomorrow | Jazz Club bartender (uncredited) |
| 1959 | The Last Angry Man | Girl Left on Porch (uncredited) |
| 1960 | Who Was That Lady? | Not available (uncredited) |
| 1966 | A Man Called Adam | Claudia Ferguson |
| 1967 | The Comedians | Marie Therese |
| 1968 | The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter | Portia |
| 1972 | Sounder | Rebecca Morgan |
| 1976 | The Blue Bird | Tylette, The Cat |
| 1976 | The River Niger | Mattie Williams |
| 1978 | A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich | Sweets |
| 1979 | The Concorde... Airport '79 | Elaine |
| 1981 | Bustin' Loose | Vivian Perry |
| 1991 | Fried Green Tomatoes | Sipsey |
| 1997 | Hoodlum | Stephanie St. Clair |
| 2001 | The Double Dutch Divas! | Herself (uncredited) |
| 2005 | Because of Winn-Dixie | Gloria Dump |
| 2005 | Diary of a Mad Black Woman | Myrtle |
| 2006 | Madea's Family Reunion | Myrtle |
| 2006 | Fat Rose and Squeaky | Celine |
| 2006 | Idlewild | Mother Hopkins |
| 2007 | Rwanda Rising | Voice of Jeanette Nyirabagarwa |
| 2009 | Up from the Bottoms: The Search for the American Dream | Narrator |
| 2010 | Why Did I Get Married Too? | Ola |
| 2011 | The Help | Constantine Jefferson |
| 2012 | Alex Cross | Regina "Nana Mama" Cross |
| 2013 | The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia | Mamma Kay |
| 2016 | Showing Roots | Hattie |
| 2017 | Last Flag Flying | Mrs. Hightower |
| 2020 | A Fall from Grace | Alice |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1961 | Frontiers of Faith | | "The Bitter Cup" |
| 1962 | The Nurses | Betty Ann Warner | Episode: "Frieda" |
| 1963 | To Tell the Truth | Decoy contestant | Episode: March 25, 1963 (decoy for Shirley Abicair) |
| 1963 | Naked City | | Episode: "Howard Running Bear Is a Turtle" |
| 1963–1964 | East Side/West Side | Jane Foster | 26 episodes |
| 1965 | Slattery's People | Sarah Brookman | Episode: "Question: Who You Taking to the Main Event, Eddie?" |
| 1965–1966 | I Spy | Princess Amara Vickie Harmon | 2 episodes |
| 1966 | Guiding Light | Martha Frazier | |
| 1967 | Cowboy in Africa | Julie Anderson | Episode: "Tomorrow on the Wind" |
| 1967 | Judd for the Defense | Lucille Evans | Episode: "Commitment" |
| 1968–1969 | The F.B.I. | Julie Harmon Lainey Harber | 2 episodes |
| 1969 | Medical Center | Susan Wiley | Episode: "The Last 10 Yards" |
| 1969 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | Betty Kelly | Episode: "Guess Who's Coming for Lunch" |
| 1970 | Gunsmoke | Rachel Biggs | Episode: "The Scavengers" |
| 1970 | Mission: Impossible | Alma Ross | Episode: "Death Squad" |
| 1970 | The Bill Cosby Show | Mildred Hermosa | Episode: "Blind Date" |
| 1970 | Here Come the Brides | Princess Lucenda | Episode: "A Bride for Obie Brown" |
| 1971 | Marriage: Year One | Emma Teasley | |
| 1971 | Neighbors | | |
| 1972 | Emergency! | Mrs. Johnson | Episode: "Crash" |
| 1972 | Soul Train | | |
| 1972 | Wednesday Night Out | | |
| 1974 | The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman | Jane Pittman | |
| 1974 | Free to Be… You and Me | Herself | |
| 1976 | Just an Old Sweet Song | Priscilla Simmons | |
| 1977 | Roots | Binta | Miniseries |
| 1977 | Wilma | Blanche Rudolph | |
| 1978 | King | Coretta Scott King | Miniseries |
| 1978 | A Woman Called Moses | Harriet Ross Tubman | |
| 1979 | Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Cicely Tyson/Talking Heads" |
| 1981 | The Body Human: Becoming a Woman | Host | |
| 1981 | The Marva Collins Story | Marva Collins | |
| 1982 | Benny's Place | Odessa | |
| 1985 | Playing with Fire | Carol Phillips | |
| 1986 | Intimate Encounters | Dr. Claire Dalton | |
| 1986 | Acceptable Risks | Janet Framm | |
| 1986 | Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story | Muriel | |
| 1989 | The Women of Brewster Place | Mrs. Browne | |
| 1990 | The Kid Who Loved Christmas | Etta | |
| 1990 | B.L. Stryker | Ruth Hastings | Episode: "Winner Takes All" |
| 1990 | Heat Wave | Ruthana Richardson | |
| 1991 | Clippers | Donna | Short |
| 1992 | Duplicates | Dr. Randolph | |
| 1992 | When No One Would Listen | Sarah | |
| 1993 | House of Secrets | Evangeline | |
| 1994 | Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All | Castralia Marsden Family House Slave/Maid | |
| 1994–1995 | Sweet Justice | Carrie Grace Battle | |
| 1996 | The Road to Galveston | Jordan Roosevelt | |
| 1997 | Bridge of Time | Guardian | |
| 1997 | Riot | Maggie | Segment: "Homecoming Day" |
| 1997 | Ms. Scrooge | Ms. Ebenita Scrooge | |
| 1997 | The Price of Heaven (Blessed Assurance) | Vesta Lotte Battle | |
| 1998 | Always Outnumbered | Luvia | |
| 1998 | Mama Flora's Family | Mama Flora | |
| 1999 | A Lesson Before Dying | Tante Lou | |
| 1999 | Aftershock: Earthquake in New York | Emily Lincoln | |
| 2000 | Touched by an Angel | Abigail Peabody-Jackson | Episode: "Living the Rest of My Life" |
| 2000 | The Outer Limits | Justice Gretchen Parkhurst | Episode: "Final Appeal" |
| 2001 | Jewel | Cathedral | |
| 2001 | The Proud Family | Mrs. Maureen Parker (voice) | Episode: "Behind Family Lines" |
| 2002 | The Rosa Parks Story | Leona Edwards McCauley | |
| 2005 | Higglytown Heroes | Great Aunt Shirley Hero (voice) | Episode: "Wayne's 100 Special Somethings" |
| 2009 | Relative Stranger | Pearl | |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ondine Burdett | Episode: "Hell" |
| 2014 | The Trip to Bountiful | Mrs. Carrie Watts | TV movie |
| 2015–2020 | How to Get Away with Murder | Ophelia Harkness | 10 episodes Guest (season 1-5), recurring (season 6) |
| 2016 | House of Cards | Doris Jones | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Madam Secretary | Flo Avery | Episode: "Leaving the Station" |
| 2020 | Cherish the Day | Miss Luma Lee Langston | Series regular |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
| 1957 | Dark of the Moon | | Little Theatre |
| 1959 | Jolly's Progress | Jolly (understudy) | Longacre Theatre |
| 1960 | The Cool World | Girl | Eugene O'Neill Theatre |
| 1961 | The Blacks: A Clown Show | Stephanie Virtue Diop | St. Mark's Playhouse |
| 1962 | Moon on a Rainbow Shawl | | East 11th Street Theater |
| 1962 | Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright | Celeste Chipley Adelaide Smith (understudy) | Booth Theatre |
| 1963 | The Blue Boy in Black | Joan | Masque Theatre |
| 1963 | Trumpets of the Lord | Rev. Marion Alexander | Astor Place Theatre |
| 1966 | A Hand Is on the Gate | Performer | Longacre Theatre |
| 1968 | Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights | Myrna Jessup | John Golden Theatre |
| 1969 | To Be Young, Gifted and Black | Various | Cherry Lane Theatre |
| 1969 | Trumpets of the Lord | Rev. Marion Alexander | Brooks Atkinson Theatre |
| 1983 | The Corn Is Green | Miss Moffat | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre |
| 2013 | The Trip to Bountiful | Miss Carrie Watts | Stephen Sondheim Theatre |
| 2015 | The Gin Game | Fonsia Dorsey | John Golden Theater |

### Radio

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 1979 | Sears Radio Theater | Host, Thursdays; "Love and Hate Night" | |