Cicely Tyson Is Now The First Black Actress To Receive Honorary Oscar

We reported in September that iconic actress Cicely Tyson would be honored with a honorary Oscar, and on Sunday, November 18th, Ms. Tyson finally held the award she has deserved for years. 

Being honored by Ava DuVernay, Quincy Jones, and Tyler Perry, this is Ms. Tyson’s first Oscar since her acting debut in 1951. Ms. Tyson, however, was nominated for an Academy Award in 1973 for her role in Sounder as Rebecca Morgan. She also has a Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by former president Barack Obama.

Jones honored Tyson with his kind words, stating: “Her work, grace, dignity, class, humility and profound professionalism firmly placed her on the pedestal of Hollywood royalty, and now, at long last, I could not be more honored to say that tonight, Cicely Tyson receives her more than well-deserved Oscar.”

In her acceptance speech on HollywoodReporter.com, Ms. Tyson shouted out her mother, and how that made this award more special.

 “Mom, I know you didn’t want me to do this [acting], but I did and here it is,” Tyson said, holding her statuette. “For the longest time, I wanted to hear something positive from her. When I did [the Emmy-winning TV movie] Jane Pittman…she said, ‘I am so proud of you.’ If I had not heard those words from her, none of this would make a difference to me.”