Carroll, who was 84, starred in 1960s TV show Julia, the first US sitcom to centre on a black woman.
She was also the first black woman to win the Tony for best actress in 1962, for Broadway musical No Strings. She went on to be nominated for an Oscar for best actress in 1975 for Claudine.
In the 1980s, she played the scheming Dominique Deveraux in TV hit Dynasty.
She had been suffering from cancer and died at home in Los Angeles on Friday, her publicist said.
