Diahann Carroll, groundbreaking 'Julia' actress and Tony winner, dies at 84

Diahann Carroll.
(Image credit: NBC Television/Courtesy of Getty Images)

Diahann Carroll, the actress who broke barriers for black women on stage and screen, died Friday. She was 84.

Carroll died of cancer at her home in Los Angeles, her daughter told The Associated Press. She portrayed iconic stage roles traditionally dominated by white women, and became a household name starring in NBC's Julia from 1968 to 1971.

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Later in her career, Carroll starred in movies opposite some of the biggest actors of the time, pairing twice with James Earl Jones and earning an Oscar nomination for Claudine. And in the 1980s, Carroll joined the soap opera Dynasty, where she often faced off against Joan Collins' character.

Ava DuVernay was one of the first of many Hollywoodites who paid tribute to Carroll. Kathryn Krawczyk

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.