Columbia College presents “Up Close with Diahann Carroll,” a dynamic cultural event for Black History Month tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the school’s Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. An eminent vocalist, actress, entrepreneur and humanitarian,
Performing in the arts came early for Carol Diahann Johnson, the legendary performer’s given name. She began her career in 1975 in Bronx, New York at age 10 and eventually earned a scholarship from the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Company to attend the famous New York High School of Music where she was a classmate of veteran actor Billy Dee Williams.
Carroll majored in sociology at New York University, but because of her talent as a singer, actress and dancer, she became popular and was given the stage name Diahann Carroll. Carroll achieved Broadway stardom when Richard Rogers selected her for the leading role in his production No Strings and Samuel Goldwyn chose her as one of the leading actresses in his production of Porgy and Bess.
Ultimately, The Ed Sullivan Show began to feature Blacks and Carroll was in The Peter Gunn series. She also served as one of the principal stars in Harry Belafonte’s first hour-long television spectacular Strollin’ Twenties, written by Langston Hughes, with Sidney Pointier as the narrator. She also starred in the version that featured Sammy Davis Jr. and Nipsey Russell.
In the fall of 1968, NBC television featured her in the first Black network series Julia as a registered nurse with a son named Corey, starring Marc Copage who was 6 years old at the time.
The show was nominated for an Emmy Award. These opportunities came as the result of her supporting role as Carmen Jones based on the opera Carmen, the Broadway musical House of Flowers, No Strings and the award-winning play Agnes of God. In 1968, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in Claudine, with James Earl Jones as the co-star. Her second Emmy nomination came in 1989 for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for NBC’s A Different World.
She also starred in the television Carroll also appeared in the hit series Soul Food as Aunt Ruthie, earning two NAACP Image Awards for her perfomance. She also served as a guest character in Lifetime TV’s Strong Medicine and in NBC’s TV show Whoopi in the role of Whoopi Goldberg’s mother. In 2004, she earned critical acclaim in the musical revue Bubbling Brown Sugar.
She has starred in Sunset Boulevard in Toronto and her Canadian cast recording outsold other CDs. Her marriage to Robert DeLeon ended tragically when he died in an accident in 1977. She is divorced from Vic Damone, Fredde Glusman and Monte Kay. Carroll continues to perform many benefits for charitable organizations.
Admission to “Up Close with Diahann Carroll,” is free and available on a first-come-firstserve basis by calling the Columbia College ticket center at (312) 344-6600 or by visiting www.colum.edu/tickets.
______ Copyright 2008 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
About Post Author
