Skip to content
Diahann Carroll

Diahann Carroll

Acting·1935–2019·53 films

Diahann Carroll (born Carol Diahann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer and model. She rose to stardom in performances in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts, including Carmen Jones in 1954 and Porgy and Bess in 1959. In 1962, Carroll won a Tony Award for best actress, a first for a black woman, for her role in the Broadway musical No Strings.

Filmography

The Star Wars Holiday Special
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)Mermeia
Eve's Bayou
Eve's Bayou (1997)Elzora
Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones (1954)Myrt
The Masked Saint
The Masked Saint (2016)Ms. Edna
The Five Heartbeats
The Five Heartbeats (1991)Eleanor Potter
Paris Blues
Paris Blues (1961)Connie Lampson
Peeples
Peeples (2013)Nana Peeples
Sidney
Sidney (2022)Self (archive footage)
Claudine
Claudine (1974)Claudine Price
Goodbye Again
Goodbye Again (1961)Nightclub Singer
Hurry Sundown
Hurry Sundown (1967)Vivian Thurlow
The Split
The Split (1968)Ellen "Ellie" Kennedy
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess (1959)Clara
At Risk
At Risk (2010)Nana
The Front
The Front (2010)Nana
Color Adjustment
Color Adjustment (1992)Self
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970)Self (archive footage)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle (1994)Lydia Bishop
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979)Vivian
Sing Your Song
Sing Your Song (2012)Self
Jackie's Back!
Jackie's Back! (1999)Diahann Carroll
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)Vivian Thurlow (archive footage) (uncredited)
Death Scream
Death Scream (1975)Betty May
The Courage to Love
The Courage to Love (2000)Pouponne
Sally Hemings: An American Scandal
Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000)Betty Hemings
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999)Sadie Delany
Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story
Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story (2000)Maria Cole
Night of 100 Stars II
Night of 100 Stars II (1985)Self
Night of 100 Stars
Night of 100 Stars (1982)Self
The Dean Martin Christmas Show
The Dean Martin Christmas Show (1968)Self (uncredited)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC (1988)Self
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004)(archive footage)
From the Dead of Night
From the Dead of Night (1989)Maggie
The Sweetest Gift
The Sweetest Gift (1998)Mrs. Wilson
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special (1986)Self
Sunday in Paris
Sunday in Paris (1991)Vernetta Chase
Jirimpimbira: An African Folk Tale
Jirimpimbira: An African Folk Tale (1995)Narrator
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
NBC 75th Anniversary Special (2002)Self
Light Girls
Light Girls (2015)Self
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood (1998)Self
Joan Rivers and Friends Salute Heidi Abromowitz
Joan Rivers and Friends Salute Heidi Abromowitz (1988)Diahann Carroll
Murder in Black and White
Murder in Black and White (1990)Margo Stover
Diary of a Single Mom
Diary of a Single Mom (2009)Therapist
Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby?
Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby? (1976)Self
Sister, Sister
Sister, Sister (1982)Carolyne Lovejoy
Martin Luther King and the March on Washington
Martin Luther King and the March on Washington (2013)Self
The Best of Broadway
The Best of Broadway (1985)Herself
The Strolling '20s
The Strolling '20s (1966)Self
How It Feels to Be Free
How It Feels to Be Free (2021)Self (archival footage)
Motown 40: The Music Is Forever
Motown 40: The Music Is Forever (1998)Self
The Beatles Forever
The Beatles Forever (1977)Self
Starfest: The Stars Salute Public Television 1983
Starfest: The Stars Salute Public Television 1983 (1983)
Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing
Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing (1968)Self - Singer