Diahann Carroll. With a handful of movie roles and an award-winning Broadway career already under her belt, Carroll landed the title role in the 1968 situation comedy "Julia." Actress Nichelle Nichols first appeared two years earlier on "Star Trek" in the supporting role of communications officer Lieutenant Uhura. Carroll's success as "Julia" set her up for another title role in the 1974 movie, "Claudine," for which she received an Academy Award nomination as best actress. Modeling for Ebony magazine by the time she was 15, she adopted the more exotic-sounding Diahann Carroll as a teenager auditioning for singing gigs, it said.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 04, 2019 23:26 UTC