On this day in 1935, a great actress was born who changed the history because of her soulful acting and dedicated professional attitude. Diahann Carroll is an African-American stage and television actress and singer known for her amazing performances in some of the most popular and earliest studio films that featured Black cast, including “Porgy and Bess” in 1959 and “Carmen Jones” in 1954. She also appeared in “Broadway Julia” in 1968 which was one of the first American television series to cast a Black female actress in a role that was nonstereotypical. Her film “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” made her one of the most successful Black actresses in the history of American cinema.

Born on July 17, 1935, in The Bronx, New York, Diahann Carroll is an amazing Black actress and singer from the United States. She had a rather blessed childhood and got some good opportunities to polish her skills. Carroll attended the School of Performing Arts in Manhattan and worked as a singer in a night club. She also pursued modeling before making her way to the world of television. She made her Broadway debut in “The House of Flowers” that went on air in 1954. Because of her intense dedication and hard work, she made her film debut in Carmen Jones alongside Dorothy Dandridge.

During her career, Diahann Carroll starred in some popular films and got nominated for the Best Actress Academy Awards for her amazing work in Claudine in 1974. She also featured her talent in “No Strings” in 1962 and also cast a spell in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” in 1979. But the time was not far when she got the best opportunity of her life and worked as the lead actress in Julian in 1968. This series luckily made her a bona fide celebrity in no time, and she ruled the hearts of her fans from around the world. The American TV series “Julian” gave her credit for being the first Black actress to work in her television program. In 1969, Carroll got nominated for an Emmy Award for her work in Julian and also won a Golden Globe award in 1968.

Other than so many mainstream roles in different movies, Carroll again made her fans go crazy with her role in “Dynasty” as jet setter Dominique Deveraux from the 1980s. This time, Carroll received her Emmy Award for her outrageous role in “A Different World” in 1989. She was recently seen as a recurring guest actress in the famous hit TV series “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Source Article:

https://www.biography.com/people/diahann-carroll-9239557

http://www.bet.com/news/national/2012/07/17/this-day-in-black-history-july-17-1935.html