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Pioneering actress Cicely Tyson came to Central Georgia for several productions

Tyson got an Emmy Award nomination for her role in the series "King," which was shot in Macon.

MACON, Ga. — The iconic actress Cicely Tyson died Thursday at 96.

A former model, Tyson gained fame in the early 1970s when black women were finally starting to get starring roles.

She visited Central Georgia several times to shoot at least four productions.

TIMELINE

In 1977, Tyson was in Macon shooting a mini-series based on the life of Martin Luther King Jr., called "King." The six-hour series earned nine Emmy Award nominations, including a nomination for Tyson.

In 1989, Tyson was in Juliette filming "Fried Green Tomatoes." She played the role of Sipsey. The movie came out in 1991 and put Juliette on the map.

RELATED: Cicely Tyson, pioneering Emmy and Tony award winner, dead at 96

In 1994, she filmed "The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All" in Milledgeville.

The American television miniseries was written by Joyce Eliason and based on the 1989 novel by Allan Gurganus. Tyson played Lucy Honicut Marsden.

In 2013, Lifetime filmed a scene for their small-screen adaptation of Horton Foote’s "The Trip to Bountiful" in Macon. Most filming took place at the historic Terminal Station.  

RELATED: Oprah, Zendaya, Gayle King, many others pay tribute to Cicely Tyson

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