How much was Cicely Tyson worth? Tyler Perry reveals he paid late actress $1m for a single day of work

American actor Tyler Perry opened up about a time when he paid late actress Cicely Tyson $1 million for just one day of work for his 2007's directorial film, Why Did I Get Married?

The 52-year-old filmmaker is the cover star of the August/September issue of AARP The Magazine, where he admitted to having paid Tyson a sizable sum because he "valued her."

In an interview with the publication, Perry revealed that The Rosa Parks Story star was not compensated well enough for her contribution to the entertainment industry.

“I’ve never said this publicly, but I took care of Ms. Tyson for the last 15 years of her life. She was a proud woman, and the only reason I mention this is because she wrote it in her book."

Adding that the actress had done "so many amazing things," he said:

"She made $6,000 for Sounder, you know? I wanted to make sure she knew that there were people who valued her. So, she did one day of work on my 2007 film Why Did I Get Married? I paid her a million dollars. I loved working with her. And it makes me feel great that I was in a position to give this incredible woman some security in her latter years.”

Aside from the 2007's film, Tyler Perry and Cicely Tyson collaborated on several projects together, like Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion and Why Did I Get Married Too?

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Cicely Tyson's net worth explored

Late actress Cicely Tyson hailed from Harlem, New York and was famed for beginning her iconic career as a model and gradually transitioning into a Hollywood actress.

As per Celebrity Net Worth, Cicely Tyson's net worth stood at $10 million at the time of her passing. The site states Tyler Perry's current net worth to be $800 million.

Born on December 19, 1924, Cicely Tyson started her acting career by appearing in Harold Young's 1957 drama film, Carib Gold. She later went on to appear in CBS Repertoire Workshop, The Doctors and the Nurses, East Side/West Side, Naked City, etc.

However, she rose to prominence after performing at the Off-Broadway production of The Blacks, which opened her avenues for high-profile projects. In 1966, she starred in A Man Called Adam as Claudia Ferguson opposite Sammy Davis Jr., Ossie Davis, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra Jr., Peter Lawford, and Ja'net DuBois.

Post that, she starred in a series of television shows like Guiding Light, I Spy, Judd for the Defense, The F.B.I., The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Bill Cosby Show, Gunsmoke, Emergency!, etc.

Cicely became one of the leading actresses in Hollywood after she starred in Martin Ritt's 1972 family drama film, Sounder, where she played the role of Rebecca. Her performance in the film bagged her an Oscar nomination.

Two years later, she went on to star in the television movie The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, for which she won two Emmy Awards.

Tyson's other credits include A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich, A Woman Called Moses, The Women of Brewster Place, House of Secrets, Sweet Justice, Ms. Scrooge, Touched by an Angel, The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, House of Cards, Cherish the Day, How to Get Away with Murder, etc.

Her other accolades include an Emmy Award in 1994 for starring in the Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, a Tony Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Peabody Award.

Cicely Tyson was also presented with an honorary Academy Award in 2019.

She passed away in January 2021 at the age of 96.