Legendary Actress Cicely Tyson Attains Peabody Career Achievement Award At 95

Jun 10, 2020 by apost team

Actress Cicely Tyson, 95, is the winner of this year’s Peabody Awards Career Achievement honor. The Peabody Awards, which recognizes individuals “whose work and commitment to broadcasting and digital media have left an indelible mark on the field and in American culture,” made the announcement on their Twitter account on Tuesday.

Cicely Tyson is the winner of this year’s Peabody Awards' Career Achievement Award. The Peabody Awards—which recognizes individuals “whose work and commitment to broadcasting and digital media—have left an indelible mark on the field and in American culture,” made the announcement on their Twitter account on Tuesday.

Peabody executive director Jeffrey P. Jones said:

“Cicely Tyson’s uncompromising commitment to using her craft to address the big issues of her time — gender equality, racial and social justice, equity and inclusion — places her in rare company. And she did so when speaking up and speaking out invited stigma, isolation, and retribution. She was a seminal figure of her time, and ahead of her time.”

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The 95-year-old has been working in the entertainment industry for 70 years and has been nominated for numerous Emmys, winning two for 1974’s The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and one in 1994 for Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. She was also nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role in 1972’s Sounder and was handed an honorary Oscar in November 2018.

Before her television career, Cicely Tyson was a fashion model, making the covers of both Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. She also acted in four Broadway plays and won a Tony Award for Best Actress in the play, The Trip to Bountiful.

This Peabody Awards honor is great, but it's certainly not the most prestigious one that she has received. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded Cicely Tyson the coveted civilian award, The Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Congratulations, Cicely! Join us in congratulating Cicely in the comments and pass this along to your loved ones.