Actress, activist and humanitarian, Cicely Tyson, star of stage, screen and television, is renowned for her portrayals of strong female characters. From her starring role on Broadway in The Blacks to the Emmy-nominated 1999 HBO film A Lesson Before Dying, her esteemed career has continually brought her critical praise.

Ms. Tyson is perhaps best known for her performance in the coveted title role of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, in which she played a slave woman ranging in age from 19 to 110, and for which she received an unprecedented two Emmys as Best Actress and as Actress of the Year. In addition, she won an Emmy-award for Best Supporting Actress in the T.V. film, The Oldest Confederate Widow Tells All,  and was nominated for an Emmy award for NBC's series, Sweet Justice.

Her other prominent performances include the following: "Harriet Tubman" in the televised special, A Woman Called Moses, for which she received the Nymph Award as a Best Actress Internationally in 1979; "Binta," the mother of Kunta Kinte, in Roots; "Marva Collins," the innovative Chicago schoolteacher, in Welcome to Success: The Marva Collins Story; and "Coretta Scott King," the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in King all of which earned her Emmy nominations.

Her critically acclaimed performance as "Rebecca" in the feature film Sounder garnered her Best Actress awards from the Atlanta Film Festival, the National Society of Film Critics, The New York Film Critics, and Oscar Nomination and a nomination from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Among her other feature film credits are: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, A Man Called Adam, The River Niger, Hoodlum and Fried Green Tomatoes.

In addition, Ms. Tyson has starred in the following made-for-television movies: Acceptable Risks, ABC; Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story, CBS; Intimate Encounters, CBS; Playing With Fire, CBS; and The Women of Brewster Place, ABC; Blessed Assurance, CBS; The Road to Galveston and Mama Flora's Family. In July 1990, the 25th anniversary of the Watts Rebellion was commemorated by the powerful docudrama, Heat Wave, TNT, which also starred Ms. Tyson and for which she won an ACE Award. She has starred in Aftershock in 1999, Jewel in 2000 and The Rosa Parks Story in 2002 on CBS. In 2005, she appeared in the feature films Because of Winn-Dixie and Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Ms. Tyson appeared in another Tyler Perry film, Madea's Family Reunion, in 2006.

During the filming of Cry Freedom, the 1987 movie based on the life of South African Steve Biko, Ms. Tyson flew to Zimbabwe at the request of John Johnson, Publisher of Ebony Magazine, to cover the making of the film as a photojournalist. A high point in her career came when she was invited to perform at the White House before two presidents: President Shegari of Nigeria and President Carter. In 1985, as Chairperson of UNICEF, she travelled throughout Africa on a fact-finding misson. In 1988, President Mugabe of Zimbabwe invited her to participate in the conference for "Children on the Front Line." At the behest of Madame La President Houphouet-Boigny, she also flew to the Ivory Coast to assist in the fundraising for the formation of the children's organization, "Ndaya."

On the occasion of the Mandelas' first visit to America, Cicely Tyson served as mistress of ceremonies at a tribute to Winnie Mandela at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and was invited by Mayor Bradley to speak at the tribute to Nelson Mandela in Los Angeles. At the 1988 economic summit of world leaders in Texas, Ms. Tyson was chosen by President Bush to serve as Mistress of Ceremonies.

Because of her deep concern to communicate with young people on a personal basis, each year Ms. Tyson sets aside one month from her working schedule to talk to students on college campuses across the country. She has spoken to over 500 colleges and universities, covering a wide range of topics, such as human rights, education, race relations and teen pregnancy.

On November 3, 1996, The New Jersey Board of Education unanimously voted to change the name of a public middle and high school to the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts. The school, located in East Orange, New Jersey, has a student body of some 700 primarily underprivileged students. Ms. Tyson feels that among her many accolades, this is one of the most meaningful. She teaches a masterclass in acting and continues to be involved in many aspects of the students education.

Along with Arthur Mitchell, its artistic director, Ms. Tyson founded the internationally celebrated ballet company, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, now in its 30th year; she currently serves on the national advisory board. Ms. Tyson formerly served on the boards of the American Film Institute, Urban Gateways, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, with Harry Belefonte among others. The success of the first National Black Arts festival in Atlanta which she co-chaired in 1988 led to an invitation to co-chair the second Festival in July 1990. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Archbishop Tutu Peace Foundation and is a member of the Women's Campain Fund.

In recognition of her talent and dedication to human rights, Cicely Tyson has been the recipient of numerous honorary doctorates. She holds a record twelve Image Awards as Best Actress from the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women Award and has received awards from such Civil Rights organizations as PUSH, CORE, the SCLS and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, among others. Harvard University celebrated her with a Cicely Tyson Day and Sony named her 1990 Master Film Innovator. Ms. Tyson has written numerous articles for The New York Times and Ebony Magazine and the Smithsonian hosted a tribute featuring a retrospective of her film career. In 2001, President Clinton asked her to serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for the "Welcome to Harlem" event. She also served as Emcee for the Democratic National Committee's "A Night at the Apollo" fundraiser for voter registration. In November 2003, Ms. Tyson received the National Women's Law Center Award. In 2006, Ms. Tyson was honored by Oprah Winfrey's "Legends," along with 24 other African-American women, who have paved the way for others.

Ms. Tyson is a Founding Member of the Coalition for a Healthy and Active America and a spokesperson for the American Legacy Foundation's "Circle of Friends" campaign. In 2002, Ms. Tyson was appointed by President George W. Bush as a Commissioner of the National African American Museum of History and Culture. In 2003, Ms. Tyson was selected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to provide the audioguide narration for the exhibition "African-American Artists 1929-1945: Prints, Drawings & Paintings." In 2004, The Metropolitan honored Ms. Tyson with an evening entitled "Cicely Tyson: The Renaissance Spirit."