Diana Patricia Sands[3] (August 22, 1934 – September 21, 1973) was an American actress, perhaps most known for her portrayal of Beneatha Younger, the sister of Sidney Poitier's character, Walter, in the original stage and film versions of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun (1959).

Two years later, she co-starred alongside Claudia McNeil, Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee in the film version of the play.

Later the same year she starred opposite Alan Alda in the original Broadway production of The Owl and the Pussycat, gaining a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

During this time, Sands met musician Bob Dylan, who, in his memoirs, called her "an electrifying actress who I might have been secretly in love with.

In late August, she began filming Claudine alongside James Earl Jones in the Harlem section of New York City.

[13] According to October 1973 articles published in Jet, Sands collapsed a week into filming and was rushed to a local hospital in early September.