Broadway dims its lights in memory of Diahann Carroll

The Tony Award-winning actress and pioneer died on October 4, 2019, at the age of 84.

In accordance with The Broadway League, the marquee lights of the American Airlines Theatre, Broadhurst Theatre, The Hayes Theater, Hudson Theatre, Marquis Theatre, New Amsterdam Theatre, Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, St. James Theatre, and Vivian Beaumont Theater will be dimmed tonight in memory of Tony Award-winning actress and pioneer Diahann Carroll.

Thomas Schumacher, Chairman of the Broadway League commented: "Much has been made of Ms. Carroll's groundbreaking role shattering racial barriers in film and on Broadway. That she was a pioneer is undeniable. But she was first and foremost a gifted, Tony-winning actress of enormous warmth and charm. She made just three visits to Broadway - in two musicals and a turbulent drama - but the breadth of those roles is a measure of her range and craft."

Ms. Carroll was born in The Bronx, New York on July 17, 1935 and passed away in West Hollywood, California on October 4, 2019, at the age of 84. The lights will be dimmed at exactly 7:45pm (ET) tonight for one minute.

On Broadway, she became the first African-American woman to win a Tony Award for 'Best Actress in a Musical,' following her celebrated turn as Barbara Woodruff in the 1962 premiere of No Strings. She made her Broadway debut in House of Flowers in 1954 and her last appearance on the Great White Way was in the 1982 production of Agnes of God. Her other stage credits include the 1977 touring production of Same Time, Next Year and the iconic role of Norma Desmond in the 1995 Toronto production of Sunset Boulevard.

Ms. Carroll is widely known for her career on screen, especially for her groundbreaking roles on the likes of "Dynasty" and "Julia," winning a Golden Globe for the latter in 1969 in the category of 'Best TV Star - Female.' In addition, over the course of her career, she earned a further two Golden Globe nominations, four Emmy Award nominations and even an Academy Award nomination in 1975 for "Claudine." Her other most notable screen credits include "White Collar," "Diary of a Single Mom," "Grey's Anatomy," "A Different World," "The Colbys," "Naked City," "Porgy and Bess," and "Carmen Jones," among others.