When I told my mother that I wanted to be an actress, she said, you can't live here and do that, and so I moved out. I was determined to prove her wrong because she was so sure that I was going to go astray. And that's the juice that kept me going.

She is the aunt of British actress Cathy Tyson. She plays an active part in supporting the school which serves one of New Jersey's most underprivileged African-American communities. Career
Tyson was discovered or found by a photographer for Ebony magazine and became a popular fashion model.

Cicely Tyson (born December 19 1933) is an American actress.