‘Julia’ Actress Singer Diahann Carroll Dead At 84

HOLLYWOOD, CA. (THECOUNT) — Diahann Carroll, the Oscar-nominated actress and singer, has died. She was 84.

Carroll won critical acclaim as the first Black woman to star in a non-servant role in a TV series as “Julia,” according to LoveBScott Friday morning.

via ABC:

Carroll’s daughter, Susan Kay, told The Associated Press her mother died Friday in Los Angeles of cancer.

During her long career, Carroll earned a Tony Award for the musical “No Strings” and an Academy Award nomination for “Claudine.”

She was perhaps best known for her pioneering work on “Julia.” Carroll played Julia Baker, a nurse whose husband had been killed in Vietnam, in the groundbreaking situation comedy that aired from 1968 to 1971.

Although she was not the first black woman to star in her own TV show (Ethel Waters played a maid in the 1950s series “Beulah”), she was the first to star as someone other than a servant.

NBC executives were wary about putting “Julia” on the network during the racial unrest of the 1960s, but it was an immediate hit.

Geo quick facts: A larger-than-life symbol of the entertainment business, Hollywood beckons tourists with landmarks like TCL Chinese Theatre and star-studded Walk of Fame. Highlights include Paramount Pictures, historic music venues like the Hollywood Bowl, and Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscars. Scenesters can choose from improv comedy clubs, retro-cool bars and velvet-roped nightclubs. Locals frequent eateries in nearby Thai Town – wikipedia.