What is the birthdate of this American television and stage actress and singer known for her performances in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts, who starred in Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing?
Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll ( ) (born Carol Diahann Johnson, July 17, 1935) is an American television and stage actress and singer known for her performances in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts, including "Carmen Jones" (1954) and "Porgy and Bess" (1959) as well as on Broadway. "Julia" (1968) was one of the first series on American television to star a black woman in a nonstereotypical role and was followed by her portrayal of Dominique Deveraux in the primetime soap opera "Dynasty" over three seasons. She is the recipient of numerous stage and screen nominations and awards, including the Golden Globe Award for "Best Actress In A Television Series" in 1968. A breast cancer survivor and activist, Carroll was scheduled to return to the Broadway stage in the 2014 revival of "A Raisin in the Sun" as Mama, but withdrew prior to opening citing the demands of the rehearsal and performance schedule.
Butler May Butler "String Beans" May (August 18, 1894 – November 17, 1917) was an American vaudeville performer, singer, pianist and comedian. He has been described as "the greatest attraction in African-American vaudeville, the first recognizable blues star," and was known "for his streetwise humor, contortive vernacular dancing, and outrageous blues piano playing." He was said to have been the highest-paid black entertainer in the country at the time of his accidental death at the age of 23, and has been claimed as "the model for Jelly Roll [Morton], at least as a stage entertainer and perhaps even as a blues pianist". No recordings of May exist.