Despite the 2020 Peabody Awards ceremony being postponed, the University of Georgia-based awards have still honored Cicely Tyson.
The legendary actress, whose career spans more than 70 years in broadcast TV, is the recipient of the Career Achievement Award, Peabody announced Monday.
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On behalf of Peabody, Tyson was honored in a video tribute by Oprah Winfrey. The media mogul thanked the 95-year-old star “for not just paving the way for me and every other black woman who dared to have a career in entertainment, but being the way — standing for the truth in your art in all ways. And allowing us to be lifted by the light of your illustrious life.”
Tyson’s work is not limited to the small screen, in which she stared in various series that are considered part of the “golden age” of television including “I Spy” and “Mission: Impossible,” and recently “How to Get Away with Murder.”
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The actress has also appeared on stage, debuting in “Dark of the Moon” as Barbara Allen before returning to Broadway after a 30-year absence in 2013 with “The Trip to Bountiful.” She also starred in 2015’s “The Gin Game” with James Earl Jones.
Additionally, Tyson has several film roles under her belt such as “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “Because of Winn-Dixie.” Her movie credits also include several appearances in Tyler Perry movies, the most recent being 2018’s Netflix thriller “A Fall from Grace”.
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As for why Tyson was selected as this year’s Career Achievement Award recipient, Peabody’s board of jurors explained “Tyson has taught us to champion a world of possibility for social justice, creativity, vitality and joy.
“Through her career she has demonstrated the importance of imagining human freedom, the power of struggle, the grace of sacrifice, and the importance of witnessing in a nation desperate to reckon with itself,” the board continued. “Her powerful command of her craft and her lifelong dedication to make work that entertains and challenges helps us find our ethical and moral bearings, inviting us to ponder the qualities that make for an ethical and moral life.”
