BY LEE PFEIFFER
Actress Diahann Carroll has passed away at age 84 from breast cancer. Carroll was the consummate performer, making her mark on stage, in recordings and In television and feature films. The Bronx native had a modest start in life before winning a television talent contest that ultimately led her to being cast in director Otto Preminger's film "Carmen Jones" in 1954. The mercurial Preminger was pleased with her work and cast her again in his 1959 big screen production of "Porgy and Bess", though Carroll's singing voice was dubbed in the film, an ironic decision considering she was known for her ability to impress audiences with her crooning. Carroll caught the attention of legendary composer Richard Rodgers, who wrote the Broadway production "No Strings" for her. The 1962 production saw Carroll winning a Tony award.
Carroll's most notable career achievement occurred when she was cast in the title role of the NBC sitcom "Julia" in 1968. She portrayed a widowed mother of a young son who was working as a nurse to a lovable but grumpy doctor played by Lloyd Nolan. The show aired during one of the most turbulent eras of the 20th century when racial tensions were high in America. Bill Cosby had broken the glass ceiling for black leading men with his Emmy-winning role in "I Spy" but Carroll's character was also a breakthrough, representing the first time television had depicted an African-American woman in a leading role as a sophisticated adult. She was smart, witty, hard-working and had plenty of sex appeal. The show was criticized for being too meek in regard to dealing with the racial issues of the day but there is no doubt that "Julia"'s status as a hit sitcom (it ran three seasons) went a long way to changing perceptions in white America about the characterization of black women. Carroll was nominated for an Emmy for the role and also won a Golden Globe. She periodically appeared in feature films including "Paris Blues", Preminger's "Hurry Sundown", "The Split" and the romantic comedy "Claudine", for which she received an Oscar nomination. She lobbied for and got a key role in the weekly prime time series "Dynasty" in the 1980s, fulfilling her dream of playing a glamorous "bad girl". For more on her life and career, click here for NY Times obituary.