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I do not recall the exact circumstance in which I first saw Diahann Carroll.
A trailer for Claudine.
In John Berrys film, Carroll played a working-class mother with six kids trying to make ends meet.
Like my mother, she took no guff and was quick with a snappy retort.
Carrolls performance singed the character of Claudine into my brain.
Immediately, I loved her, I was afraid of her, and I never forgot her.
My instant affection was a byproduct of the power of Diahann Carroll.
She became the first Black actress to win the lead Tony in a musical.
I was anAll My Childrenjunkie and aDynastyfiend, eagerly awaiting each piece of bitchy catnip thrown my way.
It felt as if she knew me well enough to cater to my addictions.
For the past two decades, Diahann Carroll had been primarily on the small screen.
But in 2013, I had the opportunity to see her projected for a movie-theater audience one more time.
For the Off-Plus Camera Film Festival in Krakow, Poland, I programmed nine movies on African-American cinema.
I also thought the Polish audience would appreciate its darkly comic tale of government bureaucracy.
I thought I was bringing Diahann Carroll to Poland, only to find that she was already there.
What a wonderful thing to discover then and to remember now especially on a day like today.
She was world-renowned in a career that spanned six decades and Ill miss her dearly.
But Ill always haveClaudine.
