Legendary actress Cicely Tyson, whose career spans 65 years, is one of eight chosen to grace the cover of Elle magazineโ€™s annual โ€œWomen in Hollywoodโ€ issue.

In the issue, which hits newsstands on Oct. 17, Tyson speaks of her female influences:

โ€œAt the very beginning of my career, I had a teacher whose name was Vinnette Carroll; she directed a number of Broadway shows. She kept saying to me, โ€˜you know the problem with beautiful women? They tend to rely on their beauty.โ€™ And I said, how wrong she is! I never think of myself as being beautiful. I thought, what are you talking about? I work so hard. And I did. But I learned from her how important it is to learn your craft. When all else fails, you will land on that, and that alone.โ€

The Harlem-born Tyson, 92, was nominated for both Oscar and Golden Globe awards in the category of Best Actress for her role as Rebecca Morgan in the 1972 movie โ€œSounder.โ€ She continues working and producing work on several projects, most recently in Shonda Rhimesโ€™ โ€œHow to Get Away with Murderโ€ and in the Netflix series โ€œHouse of Cards.โ€

This correspondent is a guest contributor to The Washington Informer.

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