Hollywood icon and veteran screen and stage actor Cicily Tyson has died at the age of 96.

Her manager, Larry Thompson, acknowledged the news of her passing. Variety (opens in new tab) reports that he said in a statement, "I managed Ms. Tyson's career for over 40 years and each year was a privilege and a blessing." Cicely thought of her new memoir as a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments from all of her personal and professional lives. Today she placed the last ornament, a star, at the top of the tree." [Born in New York City in 1924, Tyson made her film debut in 1957 with a brief appearance in "Twelve Angry Men," but her first official film role came in 1959 with "Odds Against Tomorrow" (according to Variety magazine). A few years later, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Rebecca Morgan in the 1972 drama Sounder. [She received further acclaim for her leading role in the 1974 TV movie "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" and for her role as Binta in the 1977 miniseries "Roots." Most recently, she played Ophelia Harkness, the mother of Annalise Keating, played by Viola Davis, in How to Get Away with Murder.

The pioneering actress is known for challenging how Hollywood portrays black women on screen by avoiding roles that are racist, demeaning, or promote overly sexual stereotypes.

"Let's just say, there were a lot of things that were going on at the time that were creating a negative image of black women, and my mission was to change that," she told The Hollywood Reporter (open in new tab) in 2014. 'Yes, we have drug addicts and prostitutes and riffraff, but we also have doctors and lawyers and teachers and women who are mothers to their children and wives to their husbands. So I didn't think we could afford to do anything else."

Tyson was well decorated with accolades, winning a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Tony Award, and an Emmy Award, all for her work. Just in 2019, she received an honorary Academy Award, the first Academy Award in her 60-year career. She became the first black woman ever to receive an honorary Academy Award.

Her most recent project was her memoir, Just as I Am, published two days before her death on January 26; in the 400-page book, Tyson reflects on her rich career and life path, from her childhood in New York to her memorable roles.