Diahann Carroll

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Birth Name: Carol Diahann Johnson

Born: 17 July 1935 Died: 4 October 2019

Country of origin: United States

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Description: Best known for her pioneering leading role in sitcom "Julia" (NBC, 1968-1971), actress and singer Diahann Carroll also picked up an Oscar nomination for "Claudine" (1974), played soap villain Dominique Devereaux in "Dynasty" (ABC, 1981-89) and was the first African-American to win Best Actress at the Tony Awards. Born in The Bronx, NY in 1935, Carroll studied at the New York High School of Music and Art, and thanks to a four-week winning stint on "Chance of a Lifetime" (ABC, 1952-53) was a regular performer on the New York nightclub circuit by her late teens. While studying sociology at NY Best known for her pioneering leading role in sitcom "Julia" (NBC, 1968-1971), actress and singer Diahann Carroll also picked up an Oscar nomination for "Claudine" (1974), played soap villain Dominique Devereaux in "Dynasty" (ABC, 1981-89) and was the first African-American to win Best Actress at the Tony Awards. Born in The Bronx, NY in 1935, Carroll studied at the New York High School of Music and Art, and thanks to a four-week winning stint on "Chance of a Lifetime" (ABC, 1952-53) was a regular performer on the New York nightclub circuit by her late teens. While studying sociology at NYU, Carroll made her Broadway debut in "House of Flowers" and landed her first screen acting role playing wholesome country singer Myrt in "Carmen Jones" (1954).

After appearing as Clara in the film adaptation of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" (1959), Carroll starred as Sidney Poitier's love interest Connie in "Paris Blues" (1961), showcased her vocal talents in romantic drama "Goodbye Again" (1961) and delivered an Emmy-nominated guest turn on "Naked City" (ABC, 1958-1963). Carroll made history in 1962 when she became the first ever African-American recipient of the Best Actress Tony Award thanks to her performance as a fashion model in interracial musical "No Strings." Following supporting roles in "Hurry Sundown" (1967) and "The Split" (1968) Carroll once again helped to break down barriers when she became the first black actress to front her own sitcom, "Julia" (NBC, 1968-1971).

After two seasons of playing the eponymous widowed nurse, Carroll returned to the big screen where she starred as a poverty-stricken single mother of six in "Claudine" (1974), receiving a Best Actress Oscar nomination in the process. The multi-talented star, who had also released over a dozen studio albums by this point, was then given her own four-part variety special in 1976, starred in the Maya Angelou-penned dramas "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (1979) and "Sister, Sister" (1982), and bagged the role of Joan Collins' high shoulder-padded nemesis Dominique Devereaux in "Dynasty" (ABC, 1981-89) and spin-off "The Colbys" (ABC, 1985-87).

Carroll then shared top billing in TV movie "Murder in Black and White" (1990), enjoyed the recurring roles of Whitley's mother in "A Different World" (NBC, 1987-1993) and Ida Grayson in "Lonesome Dove: The Series" (Syndication, 1994-96), and added "The Five Heartbeats" (1991), "Eve's Bayou" (1997) and "The Sweetest Gift" (1998) to her filmography. After portraying a string of real-life figures including civil rights activist Sadie Delany in "Having Our Say" (1999), Thomas Jefferson slave Betty Hemings in "Sally Hemings: An American Scandal" (2000) and Natalie Cole's mother Maria in "Livin' for Love" (2000), Carroll bagged the recurring roles of Dr. Preston's demanding mother Jane Burke in "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2005-) and Neal's widowed landlady June in "White Collar" (USA Network, 2009-2014).

Following supporting turns in Patricia Cornwell adaptations "At Risk" (2010) and "The Front" (2010), Carroll played Nana Peeples in the Tyler Perry-produced "Peeples" (2013) and church elder Ms. Edna in pastor-turned-vigilante drama "The Masked Saint" (2016). Diahann Carroll died on October 4, 2019 in Los Angeles, CA following a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 84.

Carroll was married four times. Her father boycotted the ceremony for her first wedding in 1956, to record producer Monte Kay, which was presided over by Adam Clayton Powell Jr. at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. The marriage ended in 1962. Carroll gave birth to her daughter, Suzanne Kay (born September 9, 1960), who became a journalist and screenwriter.

In 1959, Carroll began a nine-year affair with the married actor Sidney Poitier. In her autobiography, Carroll said Poitier persuaded her to divorce her husband and said he would leave his wife to be with her. While she proceeded with her divorce, Poitier did not keep his part of the bargain. Eventually he divorced his wife. According to Poitier, their relationship ended because he wanted to live with Carroll for six months without her daughter present so he would not be "jumping from one marriage straight into another." She refused.

Carroll dated and was engaged to British television host and producer David Frost from 1970 until 1973. In February 1973, Carroll surprised the press by marrying Las Vegas boutique owner Fred Glusman. After four months of marriage, Glusman filed for divorce in June 1973. Carroll filed a response, but did not contest the divorce, which was finalized two months later. Glusman was reportedly physically abusive.

On May 25, 1975, Carroll, then aged 39, married Robert DeLeon (1950–1977), the 24-year-old managing editor of Jet magazine in New York City. Thy met when DeLeon assigned himself to a cover story on Carroll about her 1975 Oscar nomination for Claudine. DeLeon had a daughter, Monica, from a previous marriage. Carroll moved to Chicago where Jet was headquartered, but DeLeon soon quit his job so the couple relocated to Oakland. Carroll was widowed when DeLeon was killed in a car crash in Beverly Hills on March 31, 1977. Carroll's fourth and final marriage was to singer Vic Damone in 1987. The union, which Carroll admitted was turbulent, had a legal separation in 1991, reconciliation, and divorce in 1996. ... (more)

Tags: American (2), Actress (2), Born 1935 (2), Died 2019 (2), Legend (1), Singer (1), Beautiful (1), Cougar (1), Stage Actress (1), Died Aged 84 (1), Ebony (1)

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Black American Firsts in Film and Theatre (70 person items)

"Diahann Carroll was the first Afro-American actress to win a Tony award (No Strings, 1962). In 1968 she debuted on her own TV series, Julia — for which she won the Golden Globe. She was nominated to Best Actress Oscar in 1974, for the dramatic comedy Claudine. Diahann Carroll played a single mother and nurse in “Julia,” which was the first primetime series with a black female lead. Although Carroll did not win an Emmy for her performance in “Julia,” she was the first bla"

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Notable African Americans who helped pave the way (64 person items)

"Singer-actress Diahann Carroll broke one of the biggest barriers in entertainment when she become the first Black woman to star on a network television series -- NBC's "Julia" -- in 1968. In 1962, she also became the first African American woman to win a Tony Award."