Groundbreaking Actress Diahann Carroll Dies At 84
Oscar-nominated actress and singer Diahann Carroll who was recognized as the first black woman to star in a non-servant role in a television series has died at the age of 84, as ABC7 NY reports.
The actress’ daughter, Susan Kay, told The Associated Press her mother passed Friday (Oct. 4) in Los Angeles of cancer.
From 1968 to 1971, Carroll portrayed the role of Julia Baker, a nurse who lost her husband to the Vietnam war, in the groundbreaking comedy titled Julia.
During Carroll’s career, she won a Tony Award for the musical No Strings and an Academy Award nomination for the cult classic Claudine.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 11: Actress Diahann Carroll attends Women In Film 2014 Crystal + Lucy Awards presented by MaxMara, BMW, Perrier-Jouet and South Coast Plaza held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on June 11, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
Carroll starred in other TV series such as The Man in the Moon (1960), The Eleventh Hour (1963), The Love Boat (1977), Dynasty (1984-1987), A Different World (1989-1993), The Legend of Tarzan (2001), Soul Food (2003-2004), and Grey’s Anatomy (2006-2007), among others.
She also starred in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), Porgy and Bess (1959), The Five Heartbeats (1991), Eve’s Bayou (1997), and The Masked Saint (2014), among others.
