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Hattie McDaniel 1895 - 1952

Hattie McDaniel was born on June 10, 1895 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas United States, and had siblings Etta McDaniel and Sam McDaniel. Hattie McDaniel died at age 57 years old on October 26, 1952 at Hollywood in Hollywood, CA, and was buried on October 18, 1952 at Rosedale Cemetery 1831 W Washington Blvd, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County.

Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel
Name
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Last residence
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June 10, 1895
Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Birth
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October 26, 1952
Hollywood in Hollywood, California, United States
Death
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Female
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Updated: November 14, 2021
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Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (1895 - 1952)
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Hattie McDaniel's History: 1895 - 1952

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  • Introduction

    Hattie McDaniel Born June 10, 1895 in Wichita, Kansas, USA Died October 26, 1952 in Woodland Hills, California, USA (breast cancer) Nicknames "Hi-Hat Hattie" Mamie Height 5' 2" (1.57 m) After working as early as the 1910s as a band vocalist, (she played piano too) 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) she actually tells off her socialite employer Barbara Stanwyck and her snooty friends. This path extends into the greatest role of her career, Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939). Here she is, in a number of ways, superior to most of the white people surrounding her. She played on the "Amos and Andy" and Eddie Cantor radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s; the title in her own radio show "Beulah" (1947-51), and the same part on TV (Beulah (1950)). Her part in Gone with the Wind (1939) won her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, the first African American actress to win an Academy Award. Spouse (4) Larry C. Williams (11 June 1949 - 5 December 1950) ( divorced) James Lloyd Crawford (21 March 1941 - 19 December 1945) ( divorced) George Langford (1922 - 1922) ( his death) Howard Hickman (11 January 1911 - 15 March 1915) ( his death) Trivia (31) The first African-American woman to sing on radio (1915, with Professor George Morrison's Negro Orchestra, Denver, CO); first African-American to be buried in Los Angeles' Rosedale Cemetery The human "Mammy" character in the Tom & Jerry Cartoons was based on her. This human supporting character was best remembered for shouting "THOMAS" very loudly. Was the first African-American to win an Academy Award. She won as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939). She became the first African-American to attend the Academy Awards as a guest.47 years after her death, has been memorialized by a pink-and-gray granite monument at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Sister of Sam McDaniel. Sister of actress Etta McDaniel. She willed her Oscar to Howard University, but the Oscar was lost during the race riots at Howard during the 1960s. It has never been found. Her father was a slave, who was eventually freed. When the date of the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind (1939) approached, McDaniel told director Victor Fleming she would not be able to make it, when in actuality she did not want to cause trouble due to the virulent racism that was rampant in Atlanta at the time. Despite the fact Clark Gable played a joke on her during the filming of Gone with the Wind (1939) (he put real brandy in the decanter instead of iced tea during the Bonnie Blue birth celebration scene), McDaniel and Gable were actually good friends. Gable later threatened to boycott the premiere in Atlanta because McDaniel was not invited, but later relented when she convinced him to go. Is a honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated Lived in a middle class African American section of Los Angeles coined "Sugar Hill". Pictured on a USA 39¢ commemorative postage stamp in the Black Heritage series, issued 25 January 2006. Despite her substantial salaries for her various roles, her estate was valued at less than $10,000 when her will was made public. She left her last husband, Larry Williams, only $1. Her Academy Award was presented by actress Fay Bainter. McDaniel and Louise Beavers, both of whom played the title character Beulah (1950) in the 1950s TV series, died ten years apart on October 26th. Is one of 7 African-American actresses to receive the Academy Award. The others, in chronological order, are Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost (1990), Halle Berry for Monster's Ball (2001), Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006), Mo'Nique for Precious (2009), Octavia Spencer for The Help (2011) and Viola Davis for Fences (2016). She was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard and for Motion Pictures at 1719 Vine Street in Hollywood, California. She had a one-time intimate affair with actress Tallulah Bankhead, according to chronicler of the Hollywood underground Kenneth Anger. Profiled in book "Funny Ladies" by Stephen Silverman. [1999] Was referenced in both George Clooney and Mo'Nique's Oscar acceptance speeches. Although her gravestone at Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles and her memorial cenotaph at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery show 1895 as her year of birth, Kansas census records for her household dated March 1st, 1895 show her age as 2, confirming that the year on her funerary markers is incorrect. When black actors and actresses couldn't find a decent place to stay in Los Angeles, Hattie opened her doors to them at her home. Hattie's controversial career was examined in the AMC-TV documentary "Beyond Tara, the Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel" hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. A huge vaudeville star in her day as a singer and dancer. A popular favorite as radio's "Beulah," Hattie starred in only one TV episode of Beulah (1950) when it was transferred to the small screen due to her diagnosis of breast cancer. It was rumored there was another episode but, if there ever was one, it was never found. Ethel Waters took over the "Beulah" role and reportedly hated the job. Attacked by the NAACP during her career for appearing in negative, stereotyped servile roles, Hattie strongly and proudly stated that she did the best she could. She went on to state that she worked not only for herself but thought she was working for future generations of African-Americans as well. She always hoped people would come around and understand what she had to go through in Hollywood and was extremely hurt at the way she was treated, for the roles she couldn't get, and how the NAACP kept pushing the image of Lena Horne on her. Was the 13th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1939) at The 12th Academy Awards on February 29, 1940. Biography in "Actresses of a Certain Character: Forty Familiar Hollywood Faces from the Thirties to the Fifties" by Axel Nissen. Is one of 13 actresses who won their Best Supporting Actress Oscars in a movie that also won the Best Picture Oscar (she won for Gone with the Wind (1939)). The others are Teresa Wright for Mrs. Miniver (1942), Celeste Holm for Gentleman's Agreement (1947), Mercedes McCambridge for All the King's Men (1949), Donna Reed for From Here to Eternity (1953), Eva Marie Saint for On the Waterfront (1954), Rita Moreno for West Side Story (1961), Meryl Streep for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Juliette Binoche for The English Patient (1996), Judi Dench for Shakespeare in Love (1998), Jennifer Connelly for A Beautiful Mind (2001), Catherine Zeta-Jones for Chicago (2002) and Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave (2013). Appeared in four Oscar Best Picture nominees: Imitation of Life (1934), Alice Adams (1935), Libeled Lady (1936) and Gone with the Wind (1939), with Gone with the Wind winning in the category. Personal Quotes (3) I'd rather play a maid than be one. 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. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests: This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of their awards, for your kindness. It has made me feel very, very humble; and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel, and may I say thank you and God bless you. [Her acceptance speech upon winning the Oscar for "Gone With the Wind"] Salary (2) The Mad Miss Manton (1938) $500 /week Gone with the Wind (1939) $1,000 a week
  • 06/10
    1895

    Birthday

    June 10, 1895
    Birthdate
    Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas United States
    Birthplace
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  • Ethnicity & Family History

    Black
  • 10/26
    1952

    Death

    October 26, 1952
    Death date
    Breast Cancer
    Cause of death
    Hollywood in Hollywood, California United States
    Death location
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  • 10/18
    1952

    Gravesite & Burial

    October 18, 1952
    Funeral date
    Rosedale Cemetery 1831 W Washington Blvd, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California 90007, United States
    Burial location

  • Obituary

    Hattie McDaniel Photo added by Curtis Jackson Picture of Added by Curtis Jackson Picture of Added by Professor Kinema Hattie McDaniel BIRTH 10 Jun 1895 Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas, USA DEATH 26 Oct 1952 (aged 57) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA BURIAL Angelus Rosedale Cemetery Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA Show Map PLOT Section D, immediately after entrance from Washington Blvd. McDaniel rests under three tall palm trees next to each other. MEMORIAL ID 1367 · View Source MEMORIAL PHOTOS 3 FLOWERS 2K+ Actress. She made Hollywood history as the first African-American to win an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress in "Gone With the Wind" (1939). The daughter of a Civil War veteran from Wichita, Kansas, she started out as a band vocalist and made her screen debut in 1932. Stout and matronly, with a deep and slightly gravelly voice, she was sadly typecast from the beginning as a maid or mammy. But she strove to bring dignity, intelligence, and even hints of dissent to those parts, and through sheer presence managed to steal every scene she was in. As Mammy in "Gone With the Wind" she was a genius of common sense, providing the film with its voice of reason. "She's one person whose respect I'd like to have", muses Clark Gable's Rhett Butler, and the moral authority McDaniel gave the character leaves us no reason to doubt him. She richly deserved the Oscar she won for her performance. Her nearly 100 other films include "Blonde Venus" (1932), "I'm No Angel" (1933), "Judge Priest" (1934), "Babbitt" (1934), "The Little Colonel" (1935), "Alice Adams" (1935), "Show Boat" (1936), "Stella Dallas" (1937), "Nothing Sacred" (1937), "They Died with Their Boots On" (1941), "In This Our Life" (1942), "Since You Went Away" (1944), and "Song of the South" (1946). McDaniel's fame made her a lightning rod for controversy. Some black critics felt her superior acting ability transcended the role she had to play again and again, while others (notably the NAACP) accused her of reinforcing negative stereotypes. Not that she had many options in the matter. As McDaniel ruefully quipped, "I'd rather play a maid for $700 a week than be one for $7 a week". And her "Gone With the Wind" triumph did nothing to shield her from the segregationist attitudes of her time. (She was not allowed to attend the film's Atlanta premiere, and at the Academy Award ceremony she and her husband had to sit in the back of the room, at a table just for them). Despite the sinful limits placed on her life and her talent, McDaniel did blaze a few trails. In 1945 she helped organize a class-action lawsuit against housing discrimination in her Los Angeles neighborhood; the case went to the U. S. Supreme Court, and race-based restrictions on owning property were ruled unconstitutional. She was the first black woman to sing on American radio (in 1931) and the first to star in her own radio and television series, "Beulah" (1947 to 1952). When McDaniel died of breast cancer at 57, 3000 mourners attended the funeral and 125 limousines accompanied her body to Rosedale. Racism literally dogged her to the grave. McDaniel's dying wish, to be buried at Hollywood Memorial Park, was denied because at the time that cemetery did not permit burials for African-Americans. In 1999, a memorial cenotaph for the actress was finally placed there by McDaniel's relatives and by Tyler Cassity, owner of the now-renamed Hollywood Forever cemetery. Bio by: Bobb Edwards Family Members Parents Photo Henry McDaniel 1845–1922 Photo Susan Holbert McDaniel 1850–1920 Spouses Photo Howard J. Hickman 1890–1915 (m. 1911) Photo Nymadula Lankford / Lankfard 1896–1965 (m. 1918) Photo James Lloyd Crawford 1895–1973 (m. 1941) Siblings Photo Otis McDaniel 1882–1916 Photo Sam McDaniel 1886–1962 Photo Etta McDaniel 1890–1946 Photo Hattie McDaniel 1895–1952 Hattie McDaniel BIRTH 10 Jun 1895 Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas, USA DEATH 26 Oct 1952 (aged 57) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA BURIAL Angelus Rosedale Cemetery Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA Show Map PLOT Section D, immediately after entrance from Washington Blvd. McDaniel rests under three tall palm trees next to each other. MEMORIAL ID 1367 · View Source
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18 Memories, Stories & Photos about Hattie

Hattie McDaniel
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Hattie McDaniel
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Hattie McDaniel
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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04/19/2019
Hattie McDaniel
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Hattie McDaniel and Joseph Cotten
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Hattie McDaniel and Joseph Cotten
A photo of Hattie McDaniel with Joseph Cotten
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Hattie McDaniel and Shirley Temple.
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Hattie McDaniel and Shirley Temple.
A photo of Hattie McDaniel with Shirley Temple
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Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen
A photo of Hattie McDaniel with Butterfly McQueen
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Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
I was a publicist for Butterfly McQueen and gave her a separate tribute years ago on this website. She was a lovely woman and I miss her.
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Hattie McDaniel and Bette Davis
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Hattie McDaniel and Bette Davis
A photo of Hattie McDaniel with Bette Davis
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Hattie McDaniel
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Hattie McDaniel
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Hattie McDanie, Olivia de Havilland, Vivien Leigh
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Hattie McDanie, Olivia de Havilland, Vivien Leigh
A photo of Hattie McDaniel with Olivia de Havilland and Vivien Leigh
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Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Olivia de Havillan turned down the starring role in "George Washington Slept Here" be cause she did not want to talk to Hattie McDaniel in a demeaning way!
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Hattie McDaniel Stamp
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Hattie McDaniel Stamp
A photo of Hattie McDaniel on a US postage stamp.
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Hattie McDaniel. Variety
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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10/30/2018
Hattie McDaniel. Variety
A photo of Hattie McDaniel on the cover of Variety.
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Other Biographies

Other Hattie Mcdaniel Biographies

Mcdaniel, Hattie (Feb 12, 1901 - Feb 28, 1991) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Dec 27, 1919 - Jan 23, 2008) Mcdaniel, Hattie (May 1, 1895 - Apr 1987) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Jun 23, 1895 - Nov 1980) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Jan 31, 1918 - Jul 31, 2010) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Oct 5, 1883 - Jan 1970) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Jul 9, 1887 - Jul 1963) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Feb 2, 1898 - Mar 1984) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Mar 30, 1914 - Feb 2, 2001) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Aug 22, 1903 - Jul 1986)
Mcdaniel, Hattie (Nov 28, 1909 - Dec 1985) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Apr 28, 1942 - Sep 13, 1990) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Nov 14, 1894 - Nov 1967) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Nov 20, 1920 - Dec 8, 1993) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Jul 15, 1886 - Aug 15, 1966) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Jul 13, 1927 - Feb 20, 2002) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Aug 24, 1899 - Feb 1977) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Dec 2, 1917 - Sep 6, 1996) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Apr 23, 1891 - Jan 1985) Mcdaniel, Hattie (Jun 13, 1918 - Aug 12, 1993)

Other McDaniel Family Biographies

Mcdaniel, Margaret (Born Apr 30, 1821) Mcdaniel, Juanita (Born Dec 12, 1917) Mcdaniel, Carrie Mcdaniel, Fannie (Born Dec 17, 1883) Mcdaniel, Josephine (Born 1875) Mcdaniel, William (1716 - 1752) Mcdaniel, Kyleigh (Mar 9, 2009 - Mar 18, 2010) Mcdaniel, Jacqueline (Oct 19, 1935 - Mar 14, 2006) Mcdaniel, William (Apr 2, 1944 - Dec 1981) Mcdaniel, Patricia (Mar 29, 1946 - Sep 19, 2001)
Mcdaniel, Alice (Apr 15, 1879 - May 15, 1966) Mcdaniel, John (Apr 1, 1929 - Jun 24, 2009) Mcdaniel, Beverly (Aug 26, 1930 - Oct 27, 1992) Mcdaniel, Priscilla (Jun 21, 1935 - Aug 19, 1997) Mcdaniel, George (Sep 3, 1895 - Feb 1984) Mcdaniel, Lola (Jul 22, 2011 - Jul 24, 2011) Mcdaniel, Arthur (Apr 24, 1885 - Mar 1975) Mcdaniel, Ralph (Feb 2, 1909 - Mar 1975) Mcdaniel, Kathryn (Aug 18, 1924 - Jun 5, 1991) Mcdaniel, Charles (Feb 24, 1926 - May 12, 2002)
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