Who was Diahann Carroll and did she have an affair with Sidney Poitier?
SIDNEY Poitier made headlines in January 2022 after it was announced he had passed away at the age of 94.
Following his tragic passing, many started to wonder about the actor's dating history and his affair with Diahann Carroll.
Who was Diahann Carroll?
Born July 17, 1935, Carroll was known as an American actress, singer, model, and activist who became a household name following her roles in Carmen Jones and Porgy & Bess in the 1950s.
Over the years, she has starred in multiple films and television shows including Julia, Claudine, and A Different World.
She has also had recurring roles in Grey's Anatomy and White Collar, where she portrayed the role of June.
Throughout the course of her career, she also won a number of awards including a Tony and Golden Globe Award. She also received five Emmy nominations.
In 2019, she tragically passed away at the age of 84, following a battle with breast cancer.
Did she have an affair with Sidney Poitier?
Carroll and Poitier's history dates back to 1959 after they both starred in Porgy & Bess.
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They later joined forces again in 1961 for the film Paris Blues.
Prior to Carroll's death, she released a 2008 memoir titled "The Legs Are the Last To Go," where she claimed to have had an affair with Poitier in 1963, stating that he convinced her to get a divorce from Monte Kay so they could be together.
After following through with her side of the alleged agreement, she was then reportedly supposed to move into a 10-room apartment, but things had changed.
“He changed the locks so I couldn’t get in [to the apartment]. Then he made me write him a check to offset his purchase and decorating costs,” Carroll wrote. “I did as I was told, submissive and desperate.”
While Poitier eventually split from his first wife Juanita Hardy in 1965, he reportedly told Carroll that he was not ready for another marriage, which led her to date other men.
“Sidney called me at my hotel … ‘You b****h, whore, tramp,’ he yelled. ‘I know he just left your bed. I won’t have you running around with other men. You belong to me!’" Carroll continued.
Despite a rocky past, the two were able to mend their relationship and go on to become friends and appear together at multiple events over the years.
“Sidney and I are now friends. That’s a lovely thing that comes as you age — forgiveness and perhaps a relaxing of standards," Carroll wrote.
Poitier went on to marry his second wife Joanna Shimkus in 1976, whom he was married to up until his death, while Carroll went on to marry Fred Glusman, Robert DeLeon, and Vic Damone.
Following her fourth divorce in 1996, Carroll never remarried.
Does Diahann Carroll have any children?
Despite being married four times, Carroll only had one child, a daughter, Suzanne Kay, whom she welcomed with her first husband.
Born September 9, 1960, Kay, 61, is known today as an American documentary producer and writer.
After graduating with a Master's Degree in Journalism from Columbia University, Kay went on to work with PBS NewsHour, CNN, and Essence Magazine.
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She now works as a producer and writer for Kaymont Entertainment, according to her .
From 1996 to 2016, Kay was married to American film director and screenwriter Mark Bamford.