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

  • Operator 13

    Operator 13

  • Margie

    Margie

  • Nothing Sacred

    Nothing Sacred

  • Anniversary Trouble

    Anniversary Trouble

  • Murder by Television

    Murder by Television

  • Since You Went Away

    Since You Went Away

  • Valiant Is the Word for Carrie

    Valiant Is the Word for Carrie

  • The Great Lie

    The Great Lie

  • The Boiling Point

    The Boiling Point

  • Blonde Venus

    Blonde Venus

  • The Mad Miss Manton

    The Mad Miss Manton

  • Alice Adams

    Alice Adams

  • Song of the South

    Song of the South

  • The Male Animal

    The Male Animal

  • Musical Comedy Tonight III

    Musical Comedy Tonight III

  • Never Say Goodbye

    Never Say Goodbye

  • The Singing Kid

    The Singing Kid

  • They Died with Their Boots On

    They Died with Their Boots On

  • Carefree

    Carefree

  • Battle of Broadway

    Battle of Broadway

  • The Wildcatter

    The Wildcatter

  • 3 Is a Family

    3 Is a Family

  • Saratoga

    Saratoga

  • The Washington Masquerade

    The Washington Masquerade

  • Arbor Day

    Arbor Day

  • High Tension

    High Tension

  • Postal Inspector

    Postal Inspector

  • Sky Racket

    Sky Racket

  • The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 5

    The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 5

  • True Confession

    True Confession

  • Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

    Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

  • Maryland

    Maryland

  • The Beulah Show

    The Beulah Show

  • Everybody's Baby

    Everybody's Baby

  • Traveling Saleslady

    Traveling Saleslady

  • We're Only Human

    We're Only Human

  • The First Baby

    The First Baby

  • China Seas

    China Seas

  • Janie Gets Married

    Janie Gets Married

  • Gentle Julia

    Gentle Julia

  • Another Face

    Another Face

  • George Washington Slept Here

    George Washington Slept Here

  • 45 Fathers

    45 Fathers

  • Family Honeymoon

    Family Honeymoon

  • Music Is Magic

    Music Is Magic

  • Mississippi Moods

    Mississippi Moods

  • Thank Your Lucky Stars

    Thank Your Lucky Stars

  • Judge Priest

    Judge Priest

  • Imitation of Life

    Imitation of Life

  • The Impatient Maiden

    The Impatient Maiden

  • Show Boat

    Show Boat

  • City Park

    City Park

  • Can This Be Dixie?

    Can This Be Dixie?

  • Merry Wives of Reno

    Merry Wives of Reno

  • Zenobia

    Zenobia

  • Janie

    Janie

  • Star for a Night

    Star for a Night

  • Reunion

    Reunion

  • 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

    1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

  • Johnny Come Lately

    Johnny Come Lately

  • The Crime Nobody Saw

    The Crime Nobody Saw

  • Lost in the Stratosphere

    Lost in the Stratosphere

  • Racing Lady

    Racing Lady

  • Merry Go Round of 1938

    Merry Go Round of 1938

  • Hello, Sister!

    Hello, Sister!

  • The Bride Walks Out

    The Bride Walks Out

  • Libeled Lady

    Libeled Lady

  • The Big Wheel

    The Big Wheel

  • Vivacious Lady

    Vivacious Lady

  • Mickey

    Mickey

  • Hypnotized

    Hypnotized

  • The Flame

    The Flame

  • Hi, Beautiful

    Hi, Beautiful

  • Over the Goal

    Over the Goal

  • The Chases of Pimple Street

    The Chases of Pimple Street

  • Quick Money

    Quick Money

  • The Shining Hour

    The Shining Hour

  • Affectionately Yours

    Affectionately Yours

  • Don't Tell the Wife

    Don't Tell the Wife

  • In This Our Life

    In This Our Life

  • I'm No Angel

    I'm No Angel

  • Babbitt

    Babbitt

  • The Shopworn Angel

    The Shopworn Angel

  • Are You Listening?

    Are You Listening?

  • The Little Colonel

    The Little Colonel

  • King Kelly of the U.S.A.

    King Kelly of the U.S.A.

  • Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

    Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

  • The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

    The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

  • Wig-Wag

    Wig-Wag

  • Mickey's Rescue

    Mickey's Rescue

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

    Hattie McDaniel: or A Credit to the Motion Picture Industry

  • Okay Toots!

    Okay Toots!

  • Fate's Fathead

    Fate's Fathead

  • Good-bye Love

    Good-bye Love

  • Flirtation

    Flirtation