Cicely Tyson December 19, 1924 – January 28, 2021 was an American actress and fashion model. In a career spanning more than seven decades, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson received three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Black Reel Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, one Tony Award, an honorary Academy Award, and a Peabody Award.
Having appeared in minor film and television roles early in her career, Tyson garnered widespread attention and critical acclaim for her performance as Rebecca Morgan in Sounder (1972); she was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her work in the film. Tyson’s portrayal of the title role in the 1974 television film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, based on the book by Ernest J. Gaines, won her further praise; among other accolades, the role won her two Emmy Awards and a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Tyson continued to act in film and on television in the 21st century. In 2011, she played the role of Constantine Jefferson in the award-winning film The Help. She also played the recurring role of Ophelia Harkness in the legal drama TV series How to Get Away With Murder since the show’s inception in 2014, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series five times.
In addition to her screen career, Tyson appeared in various theater productions. She received a Vernon Rice Award in 1962 for her Off-Broadway performance in Moon on a Rainbow Shawl. Tyson also starred as Carrie Watts in the Broadway play The Trip to Bountiful, winning the Tony Award, the Outer Critics Award, and the Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Play in 2013. Tyson was named a Kennedy Center honoree in 2015. In November 2016, Tyson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian honor in the United States. In 2020, she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Early life
She was born in East Harlem on December 19, 1924, the daughter of Fredericka (Huggins) Tyson, a domestic worker, and William Augustine Tyson, who worked as a carpenter and painter. She was one of three children. Her parents were immigrants from Nevis in the West Indies. Her father arrived in New York City at age 21 and was processed at Ellis Island on August 4, 1919.
Tyson grew up in a religious atmosphere. She sang in the choir and attended prayer meetings at an Episcopal church in East Harlem. Tyson’s mother was opposed to her becoming an actress and would not speak to her for a time. She changed her mind when she saw Cicely appear on stage.
Career
Early work
Tyson in 1973
Tyson was discovered by a photographer for Ebony magazine and became a successful fashion model. Her first acting role was on the NBC television series Frontiers of Faith in 1951. Tyson played her first film role in Carib Gold in 1956. She had small roles in the 1959 films Odds Against Tomorrow and The Last Angry Man, Her first stage appearance was in Vinnette Carroll’s production of Dark of the Moon at the Harlem YMCA in 1958.
In the early 1960s, Tyson appeared in the original cast of French playwright Jean Genet’s The Blacks. She played the role of Stephanie Virtue Secret-Rose Diop; other notable cast members included; Maya Angelou, James Earl Jones, Godfrey Cambridge, Louis Gossett Jr., and Charles Gordone. The show was the longest running off-Broadway non-musical of the decade, running for 1,408 performances. She won the 1961-1962 Vernon Rice Award (later known as the Drama Desk Award) for her performance in another off-Broadway production, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl.
Tyson also appeared on the TV game show To Tell The Truth in 1963 as a contestant who tried to deceive the panelists into believing she was Folk singer Shirley Abicair.
Tyson, who once worked for a social services agency, was spotted by producer David Susskind in The Blacks and in Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright, and was cast for a role in the CBS TV series East Side/West Side (1963–1964), playing the secretary of a social worker played by George C. Scott. She was at the time the only African American regular member of a TV cast, The show was noted for its treatment of social issues, and one of its episodes, on an African-American couple in Harlem, was blacked out in Atlanta and Shreveport, Louisiana.
In the mid-1960s she had a recurring role in the soap opera The Guiding Light. She appeared with Sammy Davis Jr. in the film A Man Called Adam (1966) and starred in the film version of The Comedians (1967) based on the Graham Greene novel. In 1968 Tyson had a featured role in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
Stardom
In 1972, Tyson played the role of Rebecca Morgan in the film Sounder. She was nominated for both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her work in Sounder, and also won the NSFC Best Actress and NBR Best Actress Awards.
In 1974, Tyson played the title role in the television film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Tyson’s portrayal of a centenarian black woman’s life from slavery until her death before the Civil rights movement won her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie and an Emmy Award for Actress of the Year – Special. Tyson was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in this television film.
Tyson’s television roles included; Binta in the 1977 miniseries Roots, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie; Coretta Scott King in the 1978 miniseries King, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie; Marva Collins in the 1981 television film The Marva Collins Story, for which she received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie, and Muriel in the 1986 television film Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story, for which she received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.
Later career
In 1989, Tyson appeared in the television miniseries, The Women of Brewster Place. In 1991, Tyson appeared in Fried Green Tomatoes as Sipsey. In the 1994–95 television series, Sweet Justice, Tyson portrayed a civil rights activist and attorney named Carrie Grace Battle, a character she modeled after Washington, D.C. civil rights and criminal defense lawyer Dovey Johnson Roundtree. Her other notable film roles include the dramas Hoodlum (1997) and Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), and the television films Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994) (for which she received her third Emmy Award) and A Lesson Before Dying (1999). In 2005, Tyson co-starred in Because of Winn-Dixie.
In 2010, Tyson appeared in Why Did I Get Married Too? and narrated the Paul Robeson Award-winning documentary, Up from the Bottoms: The Search for the American Dream. In 2011, Tyson appeared in her first music video in Willow Smith’s 21st Century Girl. That same year, she played Constantine Jefferson, a maid in Jackson, Mississippi, in the critically acclaimed period drama The Help. Set in the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, the film won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
At the 67th Tony Awards, on June 9, 2013, Tyson won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Miss Carrie Watts in The Trip to Bountiful. Upon winning, the 88-year-old actress became the oldest recipient of the Best Actress Tony Award. She also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for the role.
In 2013, Tyson played a supporting role in the horror film The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia. Beginning in 2014, Tyson guest-starred on How to Get Away with Murder as Ophelia Harkness, the mother of main character Annalise Keating (Viola Davis); for this role, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. In 2020, she was in the popular movie A Fall From Grace featured on Netflix.
Honors
Tyson in 2009
In addition to her Screen Actor Guild Award, her Tony Award, her Emmy Awards, and her Black Reel Awards, Tyson received several other honors. In 1977, Tyson was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. In 1980, she received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. In 1982, Tyson was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award. The award is given to outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. In 1988, Tyson received a Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. In 1997, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2005, Tyson was honored at Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Ball. She was also honored by the Congress of Racial Equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the National Council of Negro Women. Tyson was awarded the NAACP’s 2010 Spingarn Medal for her contribution to the entertainment industry, her modeling career, and her support of civil rights. Tyson was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015. She was awarded the United States’ highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama in November 2016. In September 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Tyson would receive an Academy Honorary Award. On November 18, 2018, Tyson became the first African-American woman to receive an honorary Oscar. In 2018, Tyson was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. One of 12 soundstages was named after Tyson in her honor at Tyler Perry Studios. She was chosen to be inducted into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame in 2020.
Tyson received honorary degrees from Clark Atlanta University, Columbia University; Howard University; and Morehouse College, an all-male historically black college. The Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts, a magnet school in East Orange, New Jersey, was named after her in 2009.
Personal life
Davis and Tyson in 1982
Tyson had a daughter when she was 17 years old. At age 18, Tyson married Kenneth Franklin on December 27, 1942. According to her divorce decree, her husband abandoned her after less than eighteen months of marriage. The marriage was formally dissolved in 1956.
Tyson began dating jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in the 1960s when he was in the process of divorcing dancer Frances Davis. Davis used a photo of Tyson for his 1967 album, Sorcerer. Davis told the press in 1967 that he intended to marry Tyson in March 1968 after his divorce was finalized, but he married singer Betty Davis that September.
Tyson and Davis rekindled their relationship in 1978. They were married on November 26, 1981, in a ceremony conducted by Atlanta mayor Andrew Young at the home of actor Bill Cosby. Their marriage was tumultuous due to Davis’ volatile temper and infidelity. Davis credited Tyson with saving his life and helping him overcome his cocaine addiction. They resided in Malibu, California, and New York City, until she filed for divorce in 1988. Their divorce was finalized in 1989, two years before Davis died in 1991.
Tyson was godmother to the singer Lenny Kravitz, having been friends with his mother, actress Roxie Roker, as well as to Denzel Washington’s daughter Katia; and Tyler Perry’s son Aman.
Tyson was an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She was a vegetarian.
Tyson’s memoir, Just As I Am, was published January 26, 2021, and she was promoting the book during her final weeks. In an interview with Gayle King, asked how she wanted to be remembered, Tyson said, “I’ve done my best. That’s all.”
Tyson died on January 28, 2021, at the age of 96.
Filmography
Sources:
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Carib Gold | Dottie | (uncredited) |
| 1958 | Odds Against Tomorrow | Jazz Club bartender | (uncredited) |
| 1959 | The Last Angry Man | Girl Left on Porch | (uncredited) |
| 1966 | A Man Called Adam | Claudia Ferguson | |
| 1967 | The Comedian | Marie Therese | |
| 1968 | The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter | Portia | |
| 1972 | Sounder | Rebecca Morgan | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama |
| 1976 | The Blue Bird | Tylette, The Cat | |
| The River Niger | Mattie Williams | ||
| 1978 | A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich | Sweets | |
| 1979 | The Concorde … Airport | Elaine | |
| 1981 | Bustin’ Loose | Vivian Perry | |
| 1991 | Fried Green Tomatoes | Sipsey | |
| 1997 | Hoodlum | Stephanie St. Clair | Nominated — Acapulco Black Film Festival Award for Best Actress Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture |
| 2001 | The Double Dutch Divas! | Herself | (short subject) (uncredited) |
| 2005 | Because of Winn-Dixie | Gloria Dump | |
| Diary of a Mad Black Woman | Myrtle | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated — BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Theatrical Film Nominated — Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role |
|
| 2006 | Madea’s Family Reunion | Myrtle | |
| Fat Rose and Squeaky | Celine | ||
| Idlewild | Mother Hopkins | ||
| 2007 | Rwanda Rising | Voice of Jeanette Nyirabagarwa | (documentary) |
| 2009 | Up from the Bottoms: The Search for the American Dream | Narrator | (documentary) |
| 2010 | Why Did I Get Married Too? | Ola | |
| 2011 | The Help | Constantine Jefferson | Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Hollywood Film Festival Award for Ensemble of the Year National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble Nominated — Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Ensemble Nominated — Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Nominated — San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble |
| 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) |
| 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 |
Episode: “So Long, Patrick Henry” Episode: “Trial by Treehouse” |
| 1966 | Guiding Light | Martha Frazier | |
| 1967 | Cowboy in Africa | Julie Anderson | Episode: “Tomorrow on the Wind” |
| Judd for the Defense | Lucille Evans | Episode: “Commitment” | |
| 1968–1969 | The F.B.I. | Julie Harmon Lainey Harber |
Episode: “The Enemies” Episode: “Silent Partners” |
| 1969 | Medical Center | Susan Wiley | Episode: “The Last 10 Yards” |
| The Courtship of Eddie’s Father | Betty Kelly | Episode: “Guess Who’s Coming for Lunch” | |
| 1970 | Gunsmoke | Rachel Biggs | Episode: “The Scavengers” |
| Mission: Impossible | Alma Ross | Episode: “Death Squad” | |
| The Bill Cosby Show | Mildred Hermosa | Episode: “Blind Date” | |
| Here Come the Brides | Princess Lucenda | Episode: “A Bride for Obie Brown” | |
| 1971 | Marriage: Year One | Emma Teasley | |
| Neighbors | |||
| 1972 | Emergency! | Mrs. Johnson | Episode: “Crash” |
| Soul Train | |||
| Wednesday Night Out | |||
| 1974 | The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman | Jane Pittman | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Emmy Award for Actress of the Year – Special Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role |
| Free to Be… You and Me | Herself | ||
| 1976 | Just an Old Sweet Song | Priscilla Simmons | |
| 1977 | Roots | Binta | Miniseries Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |
| Wilma | Blanche Rudolph | ||
| 1978 | King | Coretta Scott King | Miniseries Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |
| 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 | |
| The Marva Collins Story | Marva Collins | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |
|
| 1982 | Benny’s Place | Odessa | |
| 1985 | Playing with Fire | Carol Phillips | |
| 1986 | Intimate Encounters | Dr. Claire Dalton | |
| Acceptable Risks | Janet Framm | ||
| Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story | Muriel | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | |
| 1989 | The Women of Brewster Place | Mrs. Browne | |
| 1990 | The Kid Who Loved Christmas | Etta | |
| B.L. Stryker | Ruth Hastings | Episode: “Winner Takes All” | |
| Heat Wave | Ruthana Richardson | CableACE Award for Actress in a Movie or Miniseries | |
| 1991 | Clippers | Donna | Short |
| 1992 | Duplicates | Dr. Randolph | |
| When No One Would Listen | Sarah | ||
| 1993 | House of Secrets | Evangeline | |
| 1994 | Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All | Castralia, Marsden Family House Slave/Maid | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |
| 1994–1995 | Sweet Justice | Carrie Grace Battle | Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Drama Series Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series |
| 1996 | The Road to Galveston | Jordan Roosevelt | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Lone Star Film & Television Award for Best TV Actress Nominated — CableACE Award for Actress in a Movie or Miniseries Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |
| 1997 | Bridge of Time | Guardian | |
| Riot | Maggie | Segment: “Homecoming Day” Nominated — CableACE Award for Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries |
|
| Ms. Scrooge | Ms. Ebenita Scrooge | ||
| The Price of Heaven (Blessed Assurance) | Vesta Lotte Battle | ||
| 1998 | Always Outnumbered | Luvia | |
| Mama Flora’s Family | Mama Flora | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | |
| 1999 | A Lesson Before Dying | Tante Lou | Black Reel Award for Network/Cable – Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special |
| Aftershock: Earthquake in New York | Emily Lincoln | ||
| 2000 | Touched by an Angel | Abigail Peabody-Jackson | Episode: “Living the Rest of My Life” |
| The Outer Limits | Justice Gretchen Parkhurst | Episode: “Final Appeal” | |
| 2001 | Jewel | Cathedral | |
| The Proud Family | Mrs. Maureen Parker (voice) | Episode: “Behind Family Lines” | |
| 2002 | The Rosa Parks Story | Leona Edwards McCauley | Black Reel Award for Network/Cable – Best Supporting Actress |
| 2005 | Higglytown Heroes | Great Aunt Shirley Hero | Episode: “Wayne’s 100 Special Somethings” |
| 2009 | Relative Stranger | Pearl | Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ondine Burdett | Episode: “Hell” | |
| 2014 | The Trip to Bountiful | Mrs. Carrie Watts | TV movie Black Reel Award for Best Actress: T.V. Movie/Cable NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie (executive producer) Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated — Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |
| 2015–2020 | How to Get Away with Murder | Ophelia Harkness | 10 episodes: “Mama’s Here Now”, “There’s My Baby”, “Anna Mae”, “Go Cry Somewhere Else”, “I’m Going Away”, “Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania”, “Where Are Your Parents”, “Are You The Mole” – , “The Reckoning”, “Stay” Nominated — Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (2015, 2017–2020) Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2016–2017) |
| 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 | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright | Celeste Chipley Adelaide Smith (understudy) |
Booth Theatre | ||
| 1963 | The Blue Boy in Black | Joan | Masque Theatre | |
| 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 | |
| Trumpets of the Lord | Rev. Marion Alexander | Brooks Atkinson Theatre | ||
| 1983 | The Corn Is Green | Miss Moffat | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre | |
| 2013 | TheTrip to Bountiful 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” |
Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
Note: The year given is the year of the ceremony
| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Best Actress | Sounder | Nominated |
| 2018 | Academy Honorary Award | – | Won |
Golden Globe Awards
Note: The year given is the year of the ceremony
| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Sounder | Nominated |
Emmy Award
Sources.
| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daytime Emmy Award | |||
| 1982 | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children’s Programming – Performers | The Human Body: Becoming a Woman | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | |||
| 1974 | Best Lead Actress in a Drama | The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman | Won |
| Actress of the Year – Special | Won | ||
| 1977 | Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Series | Roots | Nominated |
| 1978 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series | King | Nominated |
| 1982 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Nominated |
| 1994 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Special | Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All | Won |
| 1995 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Sweet Justice | Nominated |
| 1999 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | A Lesson Before Dying | Nominated |
| 2009 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie | Relative Stranger | Nominated |
| 2014 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | The Trip to Bountiful | Nominated |
| Outstanding Television Movie | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | How to Get Away with Murder | Nominated |
| 2017 | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Nominated | ||
Tony Awards
Note: The year given is the year of the ceremony
| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Best Actress in a Play | The Trip to Bountiful | Won |
Peabody Awards
Note: The year given is the year of the ceremony
| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Career Achievement Peabody | – | Won |
Television Hall of Fame
Note: The year given is the year of the ceremony
| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Television Hall of Fame | – | Won |