Diahann Carroll Headshot

Diahann Carroll

Birth Place: Bronx, NY, USA

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Diahann Carroll BIO

Carroll was a Broadway stage veteran starring on Broadway in Agnes of God, House of Flowers, and No Strings, the latter of which earned her a Tony Award, the first given to a black woman for best actress in a lead role of a musical.

Carroll was best known for starring as Julia Baker, a widowed nurse raising a young son, on the comedy Julia, becoming the first African-American female to star in a non-stereotypical role in her own primetime network series. Carroll received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe for her role on the series.

Carroll also starred in three seasons of ABC's Dynasty and its spinoff The Colbys.

In 1959, Carroll was cast to play Clara in Preminger and Rouben Mamoulian's movie adaptation of Porgy and Bess, but her voice was considered too low for her character's Summertime number, so another singer dubbed for her.


Carroll starred alongside James Earl Jones in the 1974 film Claudine, playing a Harlem woman on welfare who raises six children on her own and falls for a garbage collector (Jones).

Carroll recently had recurring roles as Jasmine Guy's mother on NBC's A Different World, as Isaiah Washington's mom on ABC's Grey's Anatomy and as a Park Avenue widow on USA's White Collar. She also appeared in such films as Eve's Bayou (1997) and on stage as Norman Desmond in a musical version of Sunset Blvd.

She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2011.

Diahann Carroll Photos

Diahann Carroll STAGE CREDITS

[Off-Broadway]
Original Off-Broadway Production, 1999
Performer [Replacement]

[Canada]
Toronto Production, 1995
Norma Desmond

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1982
Doctor Martha Livingstone [Replacement]

[New York]
Original New York Production, 1979
Performer

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1962
Barbara Woodruff

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1954
Ottilie (alias Violet)

Ottilie alias Violet


Diahann Carroll Movies

Carmen Jones
[ 1954 ] Myrt
Porgy and Bess
[ 1959 ] Clara
Paris Blues
[ 1961 ] Connie Lampson
Goodbye Again
[ 1961 ] Night Club Singer
Hurry Sundown
[ 1967 ] Vivian Thurlow
The Split
[ 1968 ] EllenEllieKennedy
Claudine
[ 1974 ] Claudine
The Five Heartbeats
[ 1991 ] Eleanor Potter
Eve's Bayou
[ 1997 ] Elzora
Rifftrax: The Star Wars Holiday Special
[ 2007 ] Mermeia
Peeples
[ 2013 ] Nana Peeples
The Masked Saint
[ 2016 ] Miss Edna

Diahann Carroll TV Shows

A Different World
Marion Gilbert
Diary of a Single Mom
Therapist
Dynasty
Dominique Deveraux
Grey's Anatomy
Jane Burke
Julia
Julia Baker
Soul Food
Aunt Ruthie
The Colbys
Dominique Deveraux
White Collar
June

Diahann Carroll Awards and Nominations


winner
Tony Awards - 1962 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Diahann Carroll, No Strings

Tony Awards - 1962 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Diahann Carroll, No Strings

Diahann Carroll Videos

Diahann Carroll News


Interview: Lowell Native Maryann Plunkett Brings Real-Life Experience to THE NOTEBOOK: THE MUSICAL


Tony Award winner Maryann Plunkett has played a wide range of roles in her Broadway career. The Lowell native’s latest, an elderly woman dealing with dementia, in “The Notebook: The Musical,” may be her most personal, however, as she recalls her own mother’s struggle with debilitating memory loss to bring her current character to life.

Hattie Winston, Emily Yancy To Read HAVING OUR SAY For LA Inner City Cultural Center At The Kirk Douglas Theatre


Join Emily Yancy and Hattie Winston for a special one-off reading of HAVING OUR SAY at the Los Angeles Inner City Cultural Center.

Newly Processed Archival Collections Feature Women Of The Great American Songbook


Discover the newly processed archival collections from the Great American Songbook Foundation, featuring influential women of the Songbook.

Michael Feinstein In To Star In RAINBOW: THE NEW JUDY GARLAND MUSICAL  at the Mark Taper Forum


Experience the magic of Judy Garland's music anew with RAINBOW: THE NEW JUDY GARLAND MUSICAL, featuring Michael Feinstein at the Mark Taper Forum.

Lucie Jones, Carole Bufford, and More to Play 54 Below Next Week


Next week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club and 2022 Tony Awards Honoree for Excellence in the Theatre, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. Learn more about the performances and how to get tickets here!

Spotlight: Melba Moore Spreads Love at 54 Below


NEXT WEEK! Tony Winner Melba Moore spreads love at 54 Below

Stars to Celebrate HISTORY OF BLACK BROADWAY: WOMEN'S EDITION at 54 Below


Celebrate the history of Black Broadway through the eyes of Black women. Stars from & JULIET, THE LION KING, BACK TO THE FUTURE, and more pay tribute to legends like Lena Horne, Audra McDonald, and Diahann Carroll. Live and streaming.

Tony Winner Melba Moore To Return To 54 Below in March


Tony Winner and 3X Grammy Nominee Melba Moore is set to return to 54 Below. Learn how to purchase tickets!

George Street Playhouse Presents HAVING OUR SAY - Previews Begin November 28


George Street Playhouse presents Having Our Say, the Tony Award-nominated play by Emily Mann (A Streetcar Named Desire, Anna and the Tropics). Having Our Say is adapted from the book by Sarah (Sadie) L. Delany & A. Elizabeth (Bessie) Delany with Amy Hill Hearth and is directed by Laiona Michelle (Her Portmanteau).

Michael Feinstein to Launch Center Theatre Group Residency With COMING HOME: THE HOLIDAY CELEBRATION


After almost two decades away from the Mark Taper Forum, the incomparable Michael Feinstein returns with a Center Theatre Group residency under the banner of Feinstein’s at the Taper on Sunday, December 3 at 7 p.m. with Michael Feinstein in “Coming Home: The Holiday Celebration.” 

BWW Q&A: Daniel C. Levine of SUNSET BOULEVARD at ACT A Contemporary Theater


Pearl Sun will star as Norma Desmond in the Daniel C. Levine-directed production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Connecticut's A Contemporary Theatre will open its sixth season with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, with performances beginning October 26 and continuing through November 19. ACT Artistic Director and Broadway alum Daniel C. Levine is directing.

Riverside Studios Hosts International Programme of Theatre, Film, Cabaret And Visual Arts for Winter Season


Details have been announced for events at Riverside Studios happening across October, November, and December, including theatre, cinema, exhibitions, and cabaret.

Review: Amanda McBroom SUCH GOOD FRIENDS At Birdland Such Good Storytelling


The audience thought that they were getting a show but what they got was a lesson... in greatness.

Interview: Bob Mackie talks THE ART OF BOB MACKIE at Provincetown Public Library


With a career in films, television, and stage spanning six decades, Bob Mackie had long secured his status as an iconic costume and fashion designer when he won his first Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical for “The Cher Show” in 2019.

TRANSART & Cultural Services to Host PINKSTER CELEBRATION Beginning This Month


RANSART & Cultural Services (TRANSART) has announced its second annual Pinkster celebration with a week-long, family-friendly series of free events in Ulster County, New York. Known as Pinkster: Joy Is An Act of Resistance, the celebration features a variety of engaging activities to take place in and around Kingston from Saturday, May 27 to Sunday, June 4, 2023.

Coolidge Corner Theatre Launches New Season of Big Screen Classics


The Coolidge Corner Theatre ('the Coolidge') has announced the early lineup for its Winter / Early Spring 2023 Big Screen Classics series. 

Review: AUDRA MCDONALD Gives Grace And Has Fun At Carnegie Hall


In her most recent appearance at Carnegie Hall Audra McDonald reached the heights of entertainment excellence.

Interview: Sheldon Epps of MY OWN DIRECTIONS: A BLACK MAN'S JOURNEY IN THE AMERICAN THEATRE Recounts the Highs & Lows of His Amazing Career


BroadwayWorld talks to Sheldon Epps about his new memoir 'My Own Directions: A Black Man's Journey in the American Theatre' that recounts his struggles and successes leading the Pasadena Playhouse for two decades and directing the Tony-nominated musicals 'Blues in the Night' and 'Play On!' on Broadway and beyond.

Ashley Blanchet, Graham Rowat, Analise Scarpaci, Gavin Lee & More to Star in THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Paper Mill Playhouse


Paper Mill Playhouse has announced casting for The Sound of Music, directed by Mark S. Hoebee. The production will feature Ashley Blanchet (Paper Mill’s Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Broadway’s Waitress) as Maria Rainer, and Graham Rowat (Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen, Sunset Boulevard) as Captain Georg von Trapp.

Review: AUDRA MCDONALD IN CONCERT, The London Palladium


Audra McDonald’s name sits right at the centre of the Broadway firmament. A record-breaking performer among the queens of musicals, her cup of talent certainly runneth over.

Diahann Carroll FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Diahann Carroll been in?

Diahann Carroll has appeared on Broadway in 3 shows.

How many West End shows has Diahann Carroll been in?

Diahann Carroll has not appeared in the West End.

What awards has Diahann Carroll been nominated for?

Diahann Carroll has been nominated for the following awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical at the Tony Awards for "No Strings" and "No Strings."

What awards has Diahann Carroll won?

Diahann Carroll won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for "No Strings."

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