Hattie McDaniel
Known For
Acting
Born
1893-06-10 in Wichita, Kansas, USA
Died
1952-10-26
Biography
Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893 - October 26, 1952) was an American actress whose portrayal of Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939) won her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first black person to win an Academy Award. After working as early as the 1910s as a band vocalist, Hattie McDaniel debuted as a maid in The Golden West (1932). Her maid-mammy characters became steadily more assertive, showing up first in Judge Priest (1934) and becoming pronounced in Alice Adams (1935). In this one, directed by George Stevens and aided and abetted by star Katharine Hepburn, she makes it clear she has little use for her employers' pretentious status seeking. By The Mad Miss Manton (1938) the character she portrays actually tells off her socialite employer Barbara Stanwyck and her snooty friends. This path extends into the greatest role of McDaniel's career, Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939). Mammy is, in a number of ways, superior to most of the white folk surrounding her. From that point, McDaniel's roles unfortunately descended, with the characters becoming more and more menial. McDaniel played on the "Amos and Andy" and Eddie Cantor radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s, the title character in her own radio show "Beulah" (1947-51), and the same part on TV (Beulah, 1950).
Most Known For
Explained
as Self - First Black Oscar Winner (archive footage)
The Shining Hour
as Belvedere
Gone with the Wind
as Mammy
Zenobia
as Dehlia
Family Honeymoon
as Phyllis
Affectionately Yours
as Cynthia, Sue's Cook
Hypnotized
as Powder Room Attendant
Vivacious Lady
as Hattie (uncredited)
Mississippi Moods
Racing Lady
as Abby
The Beulah Show
as Beulah
Libeled Lady
as Scrubwoman in Grand Plaza Hall (uncredited)
Hello, Sister!
as Woman in Apartment House
I'm No Angel
as Manicurist (uncredited)
Song of the South
as Aunt Tempy
Okay Toots!
as Maid (uncredited)
The Flame
as Celia
They Died with Their Boots On
as Callie
Imitation of Life
as Woman at Funeral (uncredited)
Carefree
as Hattie (uncredited)