Award-winning performer Diahann Carroll, an accomplished actress and singer, has made her mark on the stage, television and the big screen, becoming the first African-American to star in her own TV sitcom and play the lead role in the hit musical "Sunset Boulevard."

It takes a woman of courage to lead a life of firsts, and Carroll fits the bill. She is a performer who has mastered the stage, television and film with equal finesse — a true trailblazer who has paved the way for today's women of color.

Born in 1935, the stylish and graceful Carroll spent most of her childhood in New York City in the Bronx, except for one year spent in the care of her aunt in North Carolina. She remembers that time in her life as very difficult, and she points to the painful separation from her parents as the cause of her adult marital troubles (Carroll has been married four times).

Carroll's induction into the world of entertainment came early. At age 10, she won a scholarship to study at the Metropolitan Opera; later she attended the prestigious Manhattan High School for the Performing Arts, which was immortalized in the movie "Fame." Upon graduation, Carroll enrolled at New York University and planned to study sociology, but her budding career as a nightclub performer took center stage. In 1954, she shelved her books and dropped out. Her first professional job was as the star of the all-black film adaptation of Bizet's opera "Carmen," a critical success. Also in 1954, Carroll made her Broadway stage debut in Truman Capote's production of "House of Flowers."

By 1962, Carroll was a big name. Broadway composer Richard Rodgers wrote his hit musical "No Strings" for Carroll, who won a Tony Award for her performance. She broke new ground in 1968 when she became the first woman of color to star in her own TV sitcom. "Julia" was a show about a nurse and single mom; the role earned Carroll a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nomination. After three years on the show, she asked to be released from her contract. She didn't return to television until the 1980s, when she played brazen businesswoman Dominique Deveraux Lloyd on "Dynasty."

Throughout a career that has endured more than 40 years, Carroll has also racked up an impressive list of movies, most notably "Porgy and Bess," "Claudine," "Roots: The Next Generation," "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "Eve's Bayou." In 1995, she became the first African-American to step into the role of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical "Sunset Boulevard."

When a routine 1998 exam revealed a lump in her breast, she was shocked. Her first response was to fear for her life. Her second was to fear for her livelihood. Carroll steeled herself to bravely face up to her cancer and find a way to get through it with her trademark quiet determination, grace, and resolve. She began devouring all the literature she could find about breast cancer and asking questions. Her growing knowledge soon led her to a radical decision: She would go public about her breast cancer and risk the ostracism or worse from her peers in Hollywood. What’s more, she would invite an ABC camera crew to accompany her to meet with her oncologists and to follow her into the radiation room for a televised special. Carroll has stayed true to her commitment to educate women everywhere about the life-saving benefits of mammograms and early detection of breast cancer. Her ordeal left her with newfound wisdom and perspective about what truly matters in life.

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