On Sunday (November 19th), Cicely Tyson became the first Black actress to receive an honorary Oscar from the Academy at the 10th annual Governors Awards show. While this isn't the first nod in the history books for Ms. Tyson, the 93-year-old actress was nominated for an Academy Award in 1973 for her role in Sounder as "Rebecca Morgan."
In a well thought out speech addressed to the audience, which included fellow Oscar recipients Oprah Winfrey, Regina King and Mahershala Ali, Tyson recalls a memory of her late mother, Frederica the pulled on the heart strings of many.
“Mom, I know you didn’t want me to do this,” she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter, referring to her mother, “but I did and here it is. 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.”
Entertainment moguls Tyler Perry, Quincy Jones and Ava DuVernay presented Tyson with the prestigious award, with DuVernay doting how Tyson was “the seed for so many of us, the rose that we adore."
The Academy took to Twitter to share beloved words from Quincy Jones congratulating Tyson on a "more than well-deserved Oscar."
Congrats to Cicely Tyson!
Photo: Getty