Cicely Tyson
Slavery was officially abolished in the United States in
1865. Since then there have been a number of interesting films depicting
the horrors of slavery. One of such films "A woman called Moses"
starring African-American Cicely Tyson, directed by Paul Wendkos, was released
in 1978.
In this film, Cicely Tyson played the role as real-life
escaped slave Harriet Tubman. At the risk of recapture, Tubman helped organize
the underground railroad, which enabled hundreds of enslaved African-Americans
to make their way to the freedom of the Northern states.
Adding to the tension are Harriet's frequent epileptic
fainting spells. Orson Welles narrates this adaptation of Marcy Heidish's
novel.
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson was raised in Harlem, New York by devoutly
religious parents from the Caribbean island of Nevis. She was discovered by a
fashion editor at Ebony magazine and, with her stunning looks, she quickly rose
to the top of the modeling industry.
In 1957, she began acting in Off-Broadway productions.
She had small roles in feature films before she was cast as Portia in The
Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968) in 1968. Four years later, Cicely was
nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her sensational
performance in the critically acclaimed filmSounder (1972).
In 1974, she went on to portray a 110-year-old former slave
in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974) (TV), which earned
her two Emmys. She is without a doubt one of the most talented, beautiful
actresses to have ever graced the stage and screen. Books and films of Cicely
Tyson are available at Amazon.com.