Diahann CarrollActress known for roles in Julia and Dynasty dies at 84
Carroll (at left) with Sammy Davis Jr.Over the course of the 1960s, Carroll built her name on the Broadway stage before being cast in 1968 as the lead in the sitcom
Julia. The show was unusual in that most sitcoms featuring black women up to that point had featured them in stereotypical maidservant roles, whereas Julia was a typical, working/middle-class nurse. (Even so, the more militant black-nationalists were unhappy with the show because it didn't disseminate their own propaganda.) After
Julia, she went on to star as the title character in the dramedy film
Claudine, which earned Carroll a nomination for an Academy Award. In the 1980s she was cast in a role in the primetime soap opera
Dynasty. She continued acting well into the 2010s.
Frequently married and often dating, her lovers included agent Monte Kay, actor Sidney Poitier, news anchor David Frost, and singer Vic Damone. She died October 4 from cancer.
Obituary from VarietyWikipediaIMDB,
Broadway record