About Diahann Carroll
Diahann Carroll ( dy-AN; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. Carroll was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards for her stage and screen performances, including a Tony Award in 1962, Golden Globe Award in 1968, an Academy Award nomination in 1974, and five Emmy Award nominations between 1963 and 2008. Carroll rose to prominence in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts during the Golden Age of Hollywood, including the classic movie musicals Carmen Jones (1954) and Porgy and Bess (1959). She received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her title role in the romantic comedy-drama film Claudine (1974). Carroll's other notable film credits include Paris Blues (1961), The Split (1968), Eve's Bayou (1997), and Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters First 100 Years (1999). She starred in the title role in Julia (1968–1971), for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star – Female. The series- in which Carroll played a nurse at a doctor's office at an aerospace company- was the first on American television to star a Black woman whose character was not a servant or slave. She played the role of diva Dominique Deveraux in the prime time soap opera Dynasty from 1984 to 1987. She also had roles in Naked City, A Different World, and Grey's Anatomy. Carroll made her Broadway debut playing Ottilie Alias Violet in the musical House of Flowers (1954). She became the first African American woman to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Barbara Woodruff in the musical No Strings (1962). Carroll is known for her titular role in the television series Julia (1968–71), which made her the first African-American actress in a television series starring role that was not of a domestic worker.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.