Another legend has left us. Diahann Carroll has passed away at 84 years of age. She was a major pioneer for black actresses in Hollywood, emerging just as things were beginning to happen (a little bit) for actors of color in Hollywood. She made her debut in the historic Carmen Jones (1954) starring Dorothy Dandridge, who then became the first black woman nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. Then in 1962 Diahann Carroll achieved a "first" herself, becoming the first black woman to win a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical with No Strings. By 1968 she was also a TV star headlining a sitcom for three seasons when black stars didn't do that (1968's Julia) and winning a Golden Globe in the role.
More after the jump including lots of gorgeous photos...
In 1974, she built on her already impressive career with an Oscar-nomination for her starring role in the film Claudine (see related post).
Later she caused a stir in primetime soaps during their 80s heyday injecting color into the previously all-white Dynasty where she went head to head with Joan Collins for multiple season as Dominique Deveraux. Carroll lobbied for the part, telling People magazine
I want to be the first black bitch on television.
And so she did.
glamour shots
with Dorothy Dandridge in Carmen Jones (1954)
in "No Strings" on Broadway (1962)
In Fire Island Pines one summer -- she rented Montgomery Clift's place!
in Eve's Bayou (1997)
For three decades during her peak (1960s-1980s) she was really shaking things up. She continued to work well after that, too, with notable apperances in Eve's Bayou (1997), Grey's Anatomy and more. She will be missed.