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Marc Copage and Diahann Carroll in "Julia"
Award-winning performer Diahann Carroll, an accomplished actress and singer, has made her mark on the stage, television and the big screen, becoming the first African American to star in her own TV sitcom and play the lead role in the hit musical "Sunset Boulevard."
It takes a woman of courage to lead a life of firsts, and Carroll fits the bill. She is a performer who has mastered the stage, television and film with equal finesse a true trailblazer who has paved the way for today's women of color.
Born in 1935, the stylish and graceful Carroll spent most of her childhood in New York City in the Bronx, except for one year spent in the care of her aunt in North Carolina. She remembers that time in her life as very difficult, and she points to the painful separation from her parents as the cause of her adult marital troubles (Carroll has been married four times).
Carroll's induction into the world of entertainment came early. At age 10, she won a scholarship to study at the Metropolitan Opera; later she attended the prestigious Manhattan High School for the Performing Arts, which was immortalized in the movie "Fame." Upon graduation, Carroll enrolled at New York University and planned to study sociology, but her budding career as a nightclub performer took center stage. In 1954, she shelved her books and dropped out. Her first professional job was as the star of the all-black film adaptation of Bizet's opera "Carmen," a critical success. Also in 1954, Carroll made her Broadway stage debut in Truman Capote's production of "House of Flowers."
By 1962, Carroll was a big name. Broadway composer Richard Rodgers wrote his hit musical "No Strings" for Carroll, who won a Tony Award for her performance. She broke new ground in 1968 when she became the first woman of color to star in her own TV sitcom. "Julia" was a show about a nurse and single mom; the role earned Carroll a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nomination. Some critics saw this role as a great improvement on the era's mostly stereotypical parts for women of color; others called the role a cop-out and an inaccurate portrayal of black women. During the filming of the series, Carroll was hospitalized twice for stress and at one point, her weight dropped to only 99 pounds. After three years on the show, she asked to be released from her contract. She didn't return to television until the 1980s, when she played brazen businesswoman Dominique Deveraux Lloyd on "Dynasty."
Throughout a career that has endured more than 40 years, Carroll has also racked up an impressive list of movies, most notably "Porgy and Bess," "Claudine," "Roots: The Next Generation," "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "Eve's Bayou." In 1995, she became the first African American to step into the role of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical "Sunset Boulevard."
But entertainment isn't the only area where Carroll broke barriers: She launched her own clothing line in 1997 the first woman of color to do so. Next up? Carroll has joined the cast of the made-for-TV movie "The Natalie Cole Story," due to air this December. Carroll will play Cole's mother, while Cole herself will star.
Highlights- Carroll's first job was modeling petticoats for Ebony magazine, at age 14.
- Carroll, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 (and treated successfully), is a spokeswoman for the National Women's Cancer Research Alliance.
- The famed transvestite Christine Jorgensen taught Carroll how to walk and dress, and where to shop.
- Carroll met actor Sydney Poitier on the set of 1959's "Porgy and Bess," and the two embarked on a passionate affair that lasted eight years; at one point, the two were engaged.
- Carroll lost her third husband in a car crash.
Julia:
Starring: Diahann Carroll, Marc Copage, Lloyd Nolan
Following the comedy antics of Beulahand Amos 'n' Andy- early 1950s series which many deemed patronizing - black people scarcely featured in starring roles on US television until this NBC sitcom, Julia, came along in 1968. True, Bill Cosbyhad been prominent in the adventure series I Spy, but he was not the main star. Julia, with Diahann Carroll starring and an integrated supporting cast underneath, was therefore something of a breakthrough - even though it was criticized by some black people as being unrepresentative of their lifestyle: she lived in a swanky apartment and appeared unaffected by any of the racial troubles that marked the period.
The premise had Julia as the beautiful widow of an air force captain, killed in the line of duty in the Vietnam War, endeavouring to raise Corey, their son (aged six when the series began). She worked as a nurse at the Inner Aero-Space Center, an industrial health complex in Los Angeles, and the comedy revolved around her friendships and relationships at work and play.
Cast Diahann Carroll - Julia Baker
Marc Copage - Corey Baker
Lloyd Nolan - Dr Morton Chegley
Lurene Tuttle - Hannah Yarby
Michael Link - Earl J Waggedorn
Betty Beaird - Marie Waggedorn
Hank Brandt - Len Waggedorn
Ned Glass - Sol Cooper
Crew Hal Kanter - Creator / Producer
Hal Kanter - Director
Bernard Wiesen - Director
Barry Shear - Director
Coby Ruskin - Director
Number of episodes: 86 Length: 30 mins
US dates: September 17, 1968 - May 25, 1971
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