Hattie McDaniel

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Hattie McDaniel in 1941

Hattie McDaniel (born June 10, 1895 in Wichita , Kansas , † October 26, 1952 in Woodland Hills , California ) was an American actress and singer. At the Academy Awards in 1940 , McDaniel became the first person of African American descent to win a coveted film award when she was recognized for her role as a loyal slave and later domestic servant "Mammy" in Gone With the Wind in the Best Supporting Actress category.

Life

Hattie McDaniel (in a black dress) in the 1940s
McDaniel's Cenotaph in Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Hattie McDaniel was born one of 13 children to a Baptist minister. After her first successes as a singer, including recordings for Winston Holmes ' label Meritt and in various productions of the musical Show Boat , she went to Hollywood in 1931 to work as an actress. Because of her ancestry, she was limited to depicting maids, cooks and other subordinate characters. At first, their roles were mostly small. It was not until John Ford recognized McDaniel's talent in 1934 and expanded her role as the housekeeper of Will Rogers in Judge Priest . McDaniels gradually got better roles, including in Alice Adams . In Show Boat , the film adaptation of the musical, with which McDaniel had already toured several times, she appeared alongside Irene Dunne at Paul Robeson's side and sang the ballad Ah Still Suits Me with him , which was composed especially for the film, and a few lines from Helen Morgan's interpretation of Can't Help Lovin 'Dat Man .

Her best-known role was that of the slave and later domestic servant "Mammy" in Gone with the Wind . Lead actor Clark Gable , who played with McDaniel in Adventures in the Yellow Sea and Saratoga , is said to have personally campaigned for her with David O. Selznick . For her portrayal, McDaniel received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the 1940 Academy Awards . She was the first African American actress to be recognized in this category. During the award ceremony, she sat at a separate table with her Afro-American companion, separated from the other nominees.

When she was criticized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , among others , for regularly assuming roles that corresponded to the stereotypes of African American people at the time, McDaniel replied:

“Why should I complain about playing a housemaid for a weekly fee of $ 700? If I didn't, I'd be one and my weekly earnings would be $ 7. ("Why should I complain about making $ 700 a week playing a maid? If I didn't, I'd be making $ 7 a week being one.") "

McDaniel worked in film, radio, and television until her death. The actress also gained popularity through her leading role as the smart housekeeper Beulah in the radio series of the same name from 1947 to 1952. She also played this character for a short time at the end of 1951 in the television series of the same name before she had to retire for health reasons. The actress was married several times. Her first husband died in their wedding year 1922. In 1938 she married Howard Hickman; the marriage ended in divorce that same year. Her third marriage was to James Lloyd Crawford from 1941 to 1945, and her fourth marriage to Larry Williams from 1949 to 1950. Both marriages were also divorced. Hattie McDaniel's siblings Sam McDaniel and Etta McDaniel were also active as actors, but less successfully. Hattie McDaniel died of breast cancer in 1952 at the age of 57. In 2006 she was posthumously inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame .

In the US television series Hollywood (2020), which takes up the issues of racism , sexism and homophobia in the dream factory of the 1940s, Hattie McDaniel is played in a supporting role by the actress Queen Latifah .

Filmography (selection)

Hattie McDaniel's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Web links

Commons : Hattie McDaniel  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information on appearances in the roadshow see here: [1]
  2. ↑ Hattie McDaniel. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved October 29, 2018 .
  3. ↑ W. Burlette Carter Finding the Oscar , page 115-16
  4. ^ Loren King: A look back at Oscar, minus the hype - The Boston Globe. In: Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, March 1, 2014, accessed June 25, 2020 (American English).
  5. ↑ Strange but true stories from Academy Awards past . In: Reuters . February 20, 2013, middle picture, below ( reuters.com [accessed June 25, 2020]).
  6. ↑ quote see below a. here: [2] .
personal data
SURNAME McDaniel, Hattie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH June 10, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Wichita , Kansas , United States
DATE OF DEATH October 26, 1952
Place of death Los Angeles , California , United States