WEEKEND EDITION: June 16, 2002
Diahann Carroll received a Metropolitan Opera scholarship to study at New York's High School of Music and Art.
What makes the accomplishment more impressive is Carrol's age when she was accepted: 10.
The musical prodigy, born in the Bronx in New York, went on to study sociology at New York University in the early '50s while modeling, acting on TV and singing in nightclubs.
Carroll, 67, will perform Friday through Sunday at Suncoast.
The actress/singer made her Broadway debut in "House of Flowers" (1954), the same year she made her film debut in "Carmen Jones." She also appeared in the film version of "Porgy and Bess" (1959).
In 1962 she won a Tony Award for the Broadway production of "No Strings," a musical written for her by composer Richard Rodgers.
Many remember Carroll for the groundbreaking 1968 NBC sitcom "Julia," in which she starred. She was the first black woman to have her own series.
During the three-year run of "Julia," Carroll was hospitalized twice for stress. In 1971 she asked to be released from her contract.
She appeared on television in the popular 1980's series "Dynasty," playing the role of businesswoman Dominique Deveraux.
Carroll not only played a businesswoman on TV, she is one in real life. In 1997 she launched a clothing line and has a line of cosmetics.
Recently Carroll spoke to the Sun from her home in Southern California about her trailblazing career:
Las Vegas Sun: You are a talented vocalist and actor, yet you studied sociology and psychology in college. Why?
Diahann Carroll: I felt that studying psychology helped to arm me, to understand who the haves were and the have-nots. It prepared me emotionally. It wasn't a bad idea. I'm sorry I didn't finish the degree. That kind of information is necessary in every profession. It certainly applies here, as to how we go forward.
Sun: What was it like being a black performer struggling to make it in the '50s and '60s?
DC: It was exciting, but also was a frightening time. John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Then the others -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. We were having an enormous inner struggle. Being a part of it, watching, hoping and praying that this will have a positive outcome, was in a way exciting. Great work was to be done on the part of everyone who felt committed.
Sun: You broke a barrier when you became the first black woman to star in a television series in the '60s. Have opportunities for blacks greatly improved since then, or is there still a long way to go?
DC: Sidney Poitier this year received a special Academy Award. He had a career of almost 50 years. No one ever questioned the fact that he had an outstanding career.
Halle Berry won an Oscar for Best Actress -- the first time a black woman has won. These are not numbers to be proud of. It didn't happen before, and it should have.
Sun: Las Vegas had racial barriers when you first began performing. Did you experience the same snubs as Nat "King" Cole and other black entertainers?
DC: Of course. But when I started performing in the '50s, we all were very racially naive, not just in Vegas. Florida was ridiculous. We were frightened, but we were opening the door so that others could share a larger piece of the pie, financially.
It was a very uncomfortable time. We were struggling with ourselves, our own decency. All Americans were.
Sun: Are you bothered that people called you a trailblazer after you starred in "Julia?"
DC: I can't find any reason to be anything but honored. I'm only sorry it took until 1968. As we all learn about each other and the world, changes happen in all areas of show business. We are a reflection of what is happening in the world. I had the good fortune of being there when the world came to terms with seeing a black family on television.
Sun: During the shooting of "Julia" you were under a lot of stress. Why?
DC: Anytime there is change in anything, there is a price to pay for that. We are asking the community at large to change the thought process. It's a scary place to be, to ask people to change their thought process -- to change what is at the moment and embrace what is possibly taking us forward. There are those who are afraid of the unknown.
Sun: So you had people who were against you?
DC: There were negative comments, sure. I don't think that will ever change. I always think that anything that requires our making adjustments to the unknown is very difficult. I was hospitalized twice because of stress from the heavy workload of the show.
Today, when we look at television, we see so many multiracial programs. I am proud that we were in at the beginning of that, though we paid our price. We took some hard knocks, some criticism. But in the long run, I look back and feel we were the forerunners of what the world needed.
Sun: Are you bitter about the struggle?
DC: No. I always say that part of the condition of living is that we have to constantly try to understand man's inhumanity to man. That (inhumanity) is part of my profession, absolutely. Easing those tensions is a slow and long process. I think we've done well. We've not done exceptionally well, but that is to be expected.
Sun: How has entertainment in Las Vegas changed since you first performed here?
DC: I started going to Vegas in the '50s. I performed there consistently, until the face of the industry began to change. Now it has huge, beautiful shows. "O" and "Siegfried & Roy" came along and changed the face of everything. Your major shows are huge productions. That has affected all entertainers.
Sun: What do you think about playing in a smaller venue such as Suncoast?
DC: I'm very exicted to be there. It's a little jewel box of a theater, very different and new. It's not this huge showroom that I was accustomed to. I'm very excited about performing for people who love the same kind of music I love.
This is a new instrumentation for me. I'm excited about it. We have eight pieces in the band. I've flown into Vegas on three occasions to rehearse. I'm loving the way it is sounding. It is coming together beautifully.
Sun: What will your concert be like?
DC: I'm still quite old-fashioned. I'm happy to admit that. I do the music I love, the music I was exposed to as a girl, and that has carried me through my life. I like the music of Sting and some of Elton John, but for the most part I am very proud to pay tribute to those who carried me through my youth, such as Frank Sinatra.
I don't think there are too many surprises in the show. The most important thing is that the quality of the music is what I've been weaned on.
Sun: You have had a long and illustrious career as an entertainer, but have you ever thought you would rather have done something else?
DC: There has never been a time. I have never felt as if I were going in the wrong direction. I'm very happy to be able to say that, because I've had choices.
There were periods of time of examining myself as an actress, and as a performer. But I've been very fortunate. I work at something that brings me joy.
We were frightened, but we were opening the door so that others could share a larger piece of the pie, financially."
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