Hattie McDaniel

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

97

Gender

Female

Birthday

1893-06-10

Day of death

1952-10-26 (59 years old)

Place of Birth

Wichita, Kansas, USA

Hattie McDaniel

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).

Known For

  • Explained

    Explained

  • Gone with the Wind

    Gone with the Wind

  • Valiant Is the Word for Carrie

    Valiant Is the Word for Carrie

  • Alice Adams

    Alice Adams

  • Arbor Day

    Arbor Day

  • Merry Go Round of 1938

    Merry Go Round of 1938

  • Carefree

    Carefree

  • Anniversary Trouble

    Anniversary Trouble

  • The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 5

    The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 5

  • Mississippi Moods

    Mississippi Moods

  • Another Face

    Another Face

  • Traveling Saleslady

    Traveling Saleslady

  • Margie

    Margie

  • Operator 13

    Operator 13

  • China Seas

    China Seas

  • Gentle Julia

    Gentle Julia

  • Nothing Sacred

    Nothing Sacred

  • Janie

    Janie

  • 45 Fathers

    45 Fathers

  • High Tension

    High Tension

  • Maryland

    Maryland

  • The Flame

    The Flame

  • Song of the South

    Song of the South

  • Show Boat

    Show Boat

  • True Confession

    True Confession

  • Vivacious Lady

    Vivacious Lady

  • Libeled Lady

    Libeled Lady

  • Zenobia

    Zenobia

  • Sky Racket

    Sky Racket

  • Affectionately Yours

    Affectionately Yours

  • Racing Lady

    Racing Lady

  • Hello, Sister!

    Hello, Sister!

  • The Beulah Show

    The Beulah Show

  • The Great Lie

    The Great Lie

  • Reunion

    Reunion

  • Family Honeymoon

    Family Honeymoon

  • Since You Went Away

    Since You Went Away

  • Imitation of Life

    Imitation of Life

  • Star for a Night

    Star for a Night

  • Okay Toots!

    Okay Toots!

  • The Mad Miss Manton

    The Mad Miss Manton

  • 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

    1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

  • The Washington Masquerade

    The Washington Masquerade

  • Musical Comedy Tonight III

    Musical Comedy Tonight III

  • The Male Animal

    The Male Animal

  • Murder by Television

    Murder by Television

  • Never Say Goodbye

    Never Say Goodbye

  • Are You Listening?

    Are You Listening?

  • Mickey

    Mickey

  • We're Only Human

    We're Only Human

  • The Bride Walks Out

    The Bride Walks Out

  • In This Our Life

    In This Our Life

  • Can This Be Dixie?

    Can This Be Dixie?

  • Music Is Magic

    Music Is Magic

  • George Washington Slept Here

    George Washington Slept Here

  • Everybody's Baby

    Everybody's Baby

  • The First Baby

    The First Baby

  • 3 Is a Family

    3 Is a Family

  • They Died with Their Boots On

    They Died with Their Boots On

  • Johnny Come Lately

    Johnny Come Lately

  • The Impatient Maiden

    The Impatient Maiden

  • The Singing Kid

    The Singing Kid

  • The Big Wheel

    The Big Wheel

  • Janie Gets Married

    Janie Gets Married

  • Blonde Venus

    Blonde Venus

  • The Little Colonel

    The Little Colonel

  • The Crime Nobody Saw

    The Crime Nobody Saw

  • Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

    Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

  • I'm No Angel

    I'm No Angel

  • King Kelly of the U.S.A.

    King Kelly of the U.S.A.

  • The Shopworn Angel

    The Shopworn Angel

  • Merry Wives of Reno

    Merry Wives of Reno

  • Over the Goal

    Over the Goal

  • Battle of Broadway

    Battle of Broadway

  • The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

    The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

  • Lost in the Stratosphere

    Lost in the Stratosphere

  • Good-bye Love

    Good-bye Love

  • Postal Inspector

    Postal Inspector

  • Don't Tell the Wife

    Don't Tell the Wife

  • The Chases of Pimple Street

    The Chases of Pimple Street

  • Judge Priest

    Judge Priest

  • The Shining Hour

    The Shining Hour

  • Thank Your Lucky Stars

    Thank Your Lucky Stars

  • Saratoga

    Saratoga

  • Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

    Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

  • Babbitt

    Babbitt

  • City Park

    City Park

  • The Wildcatter

    The Wildcatter

  • Mickey's Rescue

    Mickey's Rescue

  • The Boiling Point

    The Boiling Point

  • Quick Money

    Quick Money

  • Flirtation

    Flirtation

  • Hypnotized

    Hypnotized

  • Hi, Beautiful

    Hi, Beautiful

  • Wig-Wag

    Wig-Wag

  • Fate's Fathead

    Fate's Fathead

  • Hattie McDaniel: or A Credit to the Motion Picture Industry

    Hattie McDaniel: or A Credit to the Motion Picture Industry