Diahann Carroll is a multi-talented and pioneering American entertainer who excels in singing, acting, modeling and activism.
She became famous in the 1950s as a singer and model, later becoming a stage, film and television star.
She was the first African-American woman to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the first to play a non-stereotypical black character in her television show.
She has won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and five Emmy nominations for her diverse and groundbreaking roles.
She was admired for her beauty, elegance, grace and courage throughout her long and successful career.
File
- Full name: Carol Diahann Johnson
- Other name: Diahann Carroll
- Date of birth: July 17, 1935
- Age: 89 years old
- Female
- Place of birth: New York City, New York, United States
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Actor, singer, model, activist
- Height: 5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
- Parents: John Johnson (father), Mabel Faulk (mother)
- Siblings: Not applicable
- Spouse: Monte Kay (1956-1963), Fred Glusman (1973), Robert DeLeon (1975-1977), Vic Damone (1987-1996)
- Children: Suzanne Kay (daughter)
- Relationship status: single
- Net worth: $28 million
Early life and education
Diahann Carroll was born in New York City on July 17, 1935, to John Johnson, a subway conductor, and Mabel Faulk, a nurse.
She is an only child but has a close relationship with her cousin Helen, who is like a younger sister to her. She grew up in Harlem, attending the Harlem School of the Arts and the High School of Music and Art.
She soon showed her talent for singing and performing and won a scholarship to study at the Metropolitan Opera when she was 10 years old.
She also participated in various talent shows and radio shows and was discovered by a talent scout when she was 15 years old.
She enrolled at New York University but dropped out after one semester to pursue a career in show business.
Personal life
Diahann Carroll had a complicated and turbulent personal life, marked by four marriages, several affairs and a battle with breast cancer.
She married her first husband, Monte Kay, a record producer, in 1956 and gave birth to her only child, Suzanne Kay, in 1960.
They divorced in 1963 after she had a nine-year relationship with Sidney Poitier, a famous actor.
She married Fred Glusman, a store owner, in 1973, but the marriage lasted only two months. She married Robert DeLeon, editor of Jet magazine, in 1975, but he died in a car accident in 1977. She married Vic Damone, a singer, in 1987, but they separated in 1991 and divorced in 1996.
She also dated David Frost, a television host, from 1970 to 1973 and had other short-lived relationships with celebrities such as Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington and Harry Belafonte. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 and had to undergo surgery and radiation therapy.
She became a spokesperson for breast cancer awareness and prevention, and wrote a memoir about her experience titled Feet Are the Last to Go. She passed away on October 4, 2019, at the age of 84, from complications of cancer.
Career
Diahann Carroll has had a long and illustrious career in various fields of entertainment, spanning more than six decades.
She began working as a singer and model in the 1950s, recording several albums and appearing in magazines such as Ebony and Jet.
She made her acting debut in the film Carmen Jones, a musical adaptation of Bizet’s opera, in 1954, and made her Broadway debut in House of Flowers, a musical by Harold Arlen and Truman Capote, in 1954.
She won critical acclaim and a Tony Award for her performance in No Strings, a musical by Richard Rodgers, in 1962, becoming the first African-American woman to do so.
She also starred in films such as Porgy and Bess, Paris Blues, Rush Sundown and Claudine, for which she received an Oscar nomination.
She made history when she starred in Julia, a television sitcom about a widowed nurse and her son who, in 1968, became the first African-American woman to host a television show. his appearance as a non-servant character.
She also appeared in television shows such as Dynasty, A Different World, The Colbys and Grey’s Anatomy, receiving five Emmy nominations. She is also a humanitarian and activist, supporting causes such as civil rights, AIDS, and breast cancer.
Prize
Diahann Carroll has received many awards and honors for her achievements and contributions to entertainment and society. Some of the most notable are:
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the Musical No Strings in 1962.
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical for Julia in 1969.
- Oscar nomination for Best Actress for Claudine in 1975.
- Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Julia in 1969, 1970 and 1971.
- Emmy nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for A Different World in 1989.
- Emmy Nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Grey’s Anatomy 2008.
- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for Eve’s Bayou in 1998.
- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Grey’s Anatomy 2009.
- 1990 NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.
- 1998 Kennedy Center Honors
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
- 2004 Black-owned National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
- Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2011.
Net value
Diahann Carroll has an estimated net worth of $28 million.
She earned her wealth from her successful career as an actress, singer, model, and activist.
Death
Diahann Carroll passed away on October 4, 2019, at the age of 84, at her home in Los Angeles, California. She died from complications from breast cancer, which she had fought for 22 years.
She was surrounded by her daughter, grandchildren and longtime partner, Robert DeLeon. She was cremated and her ashes were given to her family.
She was mourned by fans, friends and colleagues, who paid tribute to her legacy and influence.
Argumentative
Diahann Carroll faced much controversy and criticism for her choices and roles, especially from the black community.
Some felt that she was too assimilated into white culture and that her roles were unrealistic and apolitical.
She also received death threats from the Ku Klux Klan and other racist groups because of her interracial relationships and roles.
She defended herself by saying she was trying to create opportunities and open doors for other black artists and was proud of her heritage and identity.
Social Media
- Instagram: @therealdiahann_carroll
- Twitter: @MsDiahann
Filming
- Carmen Jones
- Satire and bess
- Parisian Blues
- Hurry up
- Julia
- Claudia
- age
- Colby family
- Another world
- Soul food
- Courage to love
- white collar
- Grey’s Anatomy
CD
- Best beat transitions
- Satire and bess
- No wires
- A happy life
- Time of my life
- No one saw me cry
Book
- Diahann: An Autobiography (1986)
- Legs Are the Last to Go: Aging, Acting, Marriage, and Other Things I Learned the Hard Way (2008)
