A singer, actress and a model, Diahann Carroll, died of cancer on October 4 in Los Angeles, California. She has won accolades for her performances in Carmen Jones (1954), Porgy and Bess (1959), No Strings (a Broadway musical) and the list goes on.
She was praised by viewers and critics for her role in 'Julia', an American sitcom, in which she featured as a black woman in a non-stereotypical role. Usually, African American actors were portrayed as servants in shows produced during that era. In 'Julia', Diahann Carroll played the role of a nurse at a large aerospace company. She played the role of a single mother in the show which had 86 episodes in total and had three seasons which aired from 1968 to 1971.
From the years 1984 to 1987, Diahann Carroll, played the role of Dominique Deveraux on ABC prime time soap opera 'Dynasty'. Her first appearance was in the episode 'New Lady in Town' and her last appearance was in the episode 'Shadow Play'. Diahann Carroll appeared in 71 episodes throughout the series.
Diahann Carroll was an artist, who won Tony Award for the Broadway musical 'No Strings' where she played the role of an American fashion model who has an affair with an American author. She also acquired fame and nominations at Oscars for her role in 'Claudine,' where she filmed as a Harlem woman who falls in love with Rupert Marshall played by James Earl Jones, a garbage collector and she raises six children on her own.
She has starred in movies like 'Carmen Jones' and 'Paris Blues' and has also appeared in plays like 'Sunset Boulevard', 'Same Time, Next Year' and 'Agnes of God'. She also played the role of Jane Burke in Grey's Anatomy in seasons three and four.
Apart from being a spectacular and ingenious actor, she also sang on television, on recordings and also in nightclubs. Throughout her career, Carroll has recorded albums and has written 'Diahann' a memoir which was published in 1986.
Diahann Carroll has a daughter, Suzanne Kay, who is a producer-journalist. In addition to this, she also has two grandchildren, August and Sydney.
