Catherine Tyson (born 12 June 1965) is an English actress. She won the
for her performance in the film ''
Mona Lisa
The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...
'' (1986), which also earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the
Golden Globes
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
and
BAFTA Awards
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
. She has starred in ''
The Serpent and the Rainbow'' (1988), ''
Priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
'' (1994), and ''
Band of Gold'' (1995–1997). She won the
British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
for her performance in the film ''
Help
Help is a word meaning to give aid or signal distress.
Help may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Help'' (2010 film), a Bollywood horror film
* ''Help'' (2021 theatrical film), a British psychological thriller film
* '' ...
''.
Early life
Tyson was born in
Kingston-upon-Thames
Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...
on 12 June 1965, the daughter of an English
social worker
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
mother and a
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
ian barrister father. She grew up in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, having moved there with her parents when she was two years old. She was a pupil at St Winefrides school in Dingle. She attended Liverpool's
Everyman Youth Theatre
The Everyman and Playhouse Youth Theatre is a Liverpool-based stage and drama company for young people in Merseyside. Located at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, the Youth Theatre is open to teenagers and provides weekly sessions in a wide variety o ...
in her teens, and dropped out of college at 17 to pursue an acting career there.
Career
Tyson joined the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
in 1984, taking the lead role in their performance of ''Golden Girls''.
Also in 1984, Tyson made an early TV appearance playing Joanna in ''
Scully''.
Tyson's film debut was in ''
Mona Lisa
The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...
'' (1986) as Simone, an elegant prostitute, a performance which brought her critical acclaim.
Her other films include ''
Business as Usual'' (1987), ''
The Serpent and the Rainbow'' (1988), ''
The Lost Language of Cranes
''The Lost Language of Cranes'' is a novel by David Leavitt, first published in 1986. A British TV film of the novel was made in 1991. The film was released on DVD in 2009.
Plot introduction
''The Lost Language of Cranes'' was the second nove ...
'' (1991), ''
Priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
'' (1994) and ''
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories
''The Old Man Who Read Love Stories'' is a 2001 Australian adventure drama film directed by Rolf de Heer. It is based on the book of the same name by Luis Sepulveda.
Although the film premiered in 2001 it was not seen in cinemas until 2004. '' (2001). Probably her best-known television appearance was also as a prostitute, Carol Johnson, in the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
series ''
Band of Gold''.
In 2007, Tyson joined the cast of two long-running television series. She played headmistress Miss Gayle in the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
school drama ''
Grange Hill
''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...
'', and featured in the ITV soap opera ''
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...
'' as single mother
Andrea Hayworth
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2007, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Keith Richardson.
Jackie Stiles
Jackie St ...
.
Tyson played
Herodia in
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...
's ''Liverpool Nativity'', a modern adaptation of the traditional Christmas story. Recorded as a live event in
Liverpool City Centre
Liverpool city centre is the commercial, cultural, financial and historical centre of Liverpool, England.
The inner city districts of Vauxhall, Liverpool, Vauxhall, Everton, Liverpool, Everton, Edge Hill, Merseyside, Edge Hill, Kensington, Liv ...
on 16 December 2007, it was broadcast several times over the Christmas period and repeated the following year.
In September 2009, Tyson enrolled at the adult learning centre
City Lit
City Lit is an adult education college in Holborn, central London, founded by the London County Council in 1919, which has charitable status. It offers part-time courses across four schools and five "centres of expertise", covering humanities an ...
on an access to higher education course in creative studies. She completed a degree in English and Drama at
Brunel University
Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...
in 2013.
In 2021, she guest starred in an episode of TV drama ''
McDonald & Dodds
''McDonald & Dodds'' is a British television crime drama series, based in the English city of Bath, that stars Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins as mismatched detectives, DCI Lauren McDonald & DS Dodds. Created and principally written by screenwr ...
''.
In 2021, Tyson appeared in
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
film ''
Help
Help is a word meaning to give aid or signal distress.
Help may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Help'' (2010 film), a Bollywood horror film
* ''Help'' (2021 theatrical film), a British psychological thriller film
* '' ...
'' playing Poll, an elderly resident of a care home during the
Covid-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
; the following year she won the
British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
Charity work
Tyson hosted a charity event for
the Sick Children's Trust on 17 November 2007, and again on 1 November 2008. The event, organised by Friends of Eckersley House, a committee supporting the charity's
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
house, was held at the
Haven Golden Sands resort in
Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. She is also one of the Honorary Patrons of the
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
children's charity
Scene & Heard.
Personal life
Tyson married actor and comedian
Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian, television and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronation ...
in 1984. Their son Jack was born in 1988. They divorced in 1989.
Awards and nominations
References and notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, Cathy
1965 births
Actresses from Liverpool
English television actresses
Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners
Black British actresses
English film actresses
English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent
Living people
People from Kingston upon Thames
Alumni of Brunel University London