Diahann Carroll: Trailblazing Actress and Singer – Life, Awards & Legacy

Diahann Carroll was an American actress, singer, model and activist who broke barriers in Hollywood. Born Carol Diann Johnson in New York City in 1935, she earned a Tony Award, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination, along with five Emmy nods over her six-decade career. She rose to prominence in landmark musicals with all-Black casts, including Carmen Jones and Porgy and Bess. On Broadway she made history as the first Black woman to win Best Actress in a Musical for No Strings. Her Oscar-nominated turn in Claudine and roles in Paris Blues, Eve’s Bayou and Having Our Say cemented her status as a screen icon. Off-screen, Carroll modeled for Ebony magazine, studied at NYU and championed early cancer detection after her breast cancer diagnosis in 1997. She married four times and had a long partnership with Sidney Poitier. Carroll passed away in West Hollywood in 2019, leaving a powerful legacy of talent and activism.

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