Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel ( born June 10, 1895 in Wichita, Kansas, † October 26, 1952 in Woodland Hills, California ) was an American actress and singer. In 1940 she received for her role in Gone With the Wind as the first African-American actress Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Only at the Oscar ceremony in 1964 with Sidney Poitier won an Oscar again an African American.
Life
Hattie McDaniel was the daughter of a Baptist preacher. After the first successes as a singer, including in various productions of the musical Show Boat in 1931 she went to Hollywood to work as an actress. Due to their origin, it was limited to the role of maid, cook, and other subordinate figures. Your comedic talent helped her gradually to better roles, including in Alice Adams. In Show Boat, the film adaptation of the musical, with the McDaniel had already taken some tours, she starred opposite Irene Dunne at the side of Paul Robeson and sang with him the ballad Ah Still Suits Me, which was composed especially for the film, as well as some lines at Helen Morgan Can not Help Lovin ' Dat Man. Gone Her most famous role as housekeeper Mammy in the Wind actress brought the Oscar as the best supporting actress. Clark Gable, who had played with McDaniels, among other adventures in the Yellow Sea, and Saratoga, is said to have used personally to David O. Selznick for them.
Until her death McDaniel worked in film, radio and television. Gained popularity, the actress also by their radio appearances as patents housekeeper Beulah 1947-1952. You played this character for a short time in late 1951 in the eponymous television series, before she had to retire for health reasons. On the allegation that regularly perform in roles that are consistent with the former stereotype of the naive African-American domestic workers, the actress said soberly:
"Why should I complain to play a maid for a week fee of 700 U.S. dollars? If I was actually one of my weekly earnings would be at seven dollars. "
The actress was married several times. Her first husband died in wedding year 1922. 1938 she married Howard Hickman in second marriage. The connection ended in the same year with divorce. Her third marriage, she led from 1941 to 1945 with James Lloyd Crawford, her fourth marriage to Larry Williams of 1949 until 1950. Both marriages were also divorced. Hattie McDaniel died in 1952 from breast cancer. In 2006, she was admitted posthumously into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.