(Born Dec. 19, 1933) Cicely Tyson is an award-winning African-American actress. She was discovered by a photographer for Ebony magazine, and became a popular fashion model. Then she went on to do television - the celebrated series East Side/West Side and the long-running soap opera The Guiding Light. In 1972, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the critically acclaimed Sounder.