Eight black living legends who inspired the world

Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson, 96, is the first black actress to star in a television series, the first black woman to win an Emmy as a lead actress in a television movie, and the first black actress to receive an honorary Oscar.

A model before becoming an actress, Tyson is well-known for playing the characters of powerful African-American women, as portrayed in the widely-patronised 1970s television mini-series, Roots.

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For her over 80-year-career, the prolific actress has received a Kennedy Center Honor, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Tony, and multiple Emmy awards. This year, Tyson was inducted into the 2020 TV Hall of Fame.