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

  • Margie

    Margie

  • Zenobia

    Zenobia

  • Gone with the Wind

    Gone with the Wind

  • Affectionately Yours

    Affectionately Yours

  • Family Honeymoon

    Family Honeymoon

  • Janie

    Janie

  • Reunion

    Reunion

  • Vivacious Lady

    Vivacious Lady

  • Show Boat

    Show Boat

  • The Flame

    The Flame

  • In This Our Life

    In This Our Life

  • 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

    1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

  • Music Is Magic

    Music Is Magic

  • Mississippi Moods

    Mississippi Moods

  • George Washington Slept Here

    George Washington Slept Here

  • Libeled Lady

    Libeled Lady

  • Musical Comedy Tonight III

    Musical Comedy Tonight III

  • Okay Toots!

    Okay Toots!

  • Hypnotized

    Hypnotized

  • Racing Lady

    Racing Lady

  • Alice Adams

    Alice Adams

  • Maryland

    Maryland

  • The Big Wheel

    The Big Wheel

  • Song of the South

    Song of the South

  • Hello, Sister!

    Hello, Sister!

  • The First Baby

    The First Baby

  • The Shopworn Angel

    The Shopworn Angel

  • I'm No Angel

    I'm No Angel

  • Gentle Julia

    Gentle Julia

  • The Beulah Show

    The Beulah Show

  • Are You Listening?

    Are You Listening?

  • The Male Animal

    The Male Animal

  • The Mad Miss Manton

    The Mad Miss Manton

  • They Died with Their Boots On

    They Died with Their Boots On

  • High Tension

    High Tension

  • Blonde Venus

    Blonde Venus

  • The Great Lie

    The Great Lie

  • Imitation of Life

    Imitation of Life

  • Wig-Wag

    Wig-Wag

  • Good-bye Love

    Good-bye Love

  • Nothing Sacred

    Nothing Sacred

  • Arbor Day

    Arbor Day

  • China Seas

    China Seas

  • Carefree

    Carefree

  • Traveling Saleslady

    Traveling Saleslady

  • Saratoga

    Saratoga

  • Since You Went Away

    Since You Went Away

  • The Little Colonel

    The Little Colonel

  • The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

    The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

  • Operator 13

    Operator 13

  • Judge Priest

    Judge Priest

  • Thank Your Lucky Stars

    Thank Your Lucky Stars

  • Sky Racket

    Sky Racket

  • Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

    Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

  • Fate's Fathead

    Fate's Fathead

  • The Shining Hour

    The Shining Hour

  • The Bride Walks Out

    The Bride Walks Out

  • Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

    Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

  • Never Say Goodbye

    Never Say Goodbye

  • Johnny Come Lately

    Johnny Come Lately

  • Hi, Beautiful

    Hi, Beautiful

  • The Impatient Maiden

    The Impatient Maiden

  • King Kelly of the U.S.A.

    King Kelly of the U.S.A.

  • Babbitt

    Babbitt

  • We're Only Human

    We're Only Human

  • Mickey

    Mickey

  • True Confession

    True Confession

  • Another Face

    Another Face

  • The Wildcatter

    The Wildcatter

  • The Singing Kid

    The Singing Kid

  • Janie Gets Married

    Janie Gets Married

  • Anniversary Trouble

    Anniversary Trouble

  • Valiant Is the Word for Carrie

    Valiant Is the Word for Carrie

  • Battle of Broadway

    Battle of Broadway

  • The Washington Masquerade

    The Washington Masquerade

  • 3 Is a Family

    3 Is a Family

  • Star for a Night

    Star for a Night

  • Over the Goal

    Over the Goal

  • Postal Inspector

    Postal Inspector

  • Mickey's Rescue

    Mickey's Rescue

  • Don't Tell the Wife

    Don't Tell the Wife

  • Everybody's Baby

    Everybody's Baby

  • Merry Go Round of 1938

    Merry Go Round of 1938

  • Can This Be Dixie?

    Can This Be Dixie?

  • Merry Wives of Reno

    Merry Wives of Reno

  • Quick Money

    Quick Money

  • The Crime Nobody Saw

    The Crime Nobody Saw

  • City Park

    City Park

  • 45 Fathers

    45 Fathers

  • The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 5

    The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 5

  • The Chases of Pimple Street

    The Chases of Pimple Street

  • Lost in the Stratosphere

    Lost in the Stratosphere

  • Murder by Television

    Murder by Television

  • Flirtation

    Flirtation

  • The Boiling Point

    The Boiling Point

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

    Hattie McDaniel: or A Credit to the Motion Picture Industry