Hattie McDaniel

Born: 1893-06-10

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).


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Song of the South

as Aunt Tempy
Released: 1946-11-12

Uncle Remus draws upon his tales of Br'er Rabbit to help little Johnny deal with his confusion...

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Gone with the Wind

as Mammy
Released: 1939-12-15

The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical...

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In This Our Life

as Minerva Clay
Released: 1942-05-08

An unhappy, self-centered woman runs off with her sister's husband, wreaking havoc and ruining...

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Nothing Sacred

as Mrs. Walker (uncredited)
Released: 1937-11-25

When a small-town girl is incorrectly diagnosed with a rare, deadly disease, an unknowing...

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They Died with Their Boots On

as Callie
Released: 1941-11-20

The story follows General George Armstrong Custer's adventures from his West Point days to his...

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And the Oscar Goes To...

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2014-02-01

The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND...

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China Seas

as Isabel McCarthy, Dolly's Maid (uncredited)
Released: 1935-08-09

Captain Alan Gaskell sails the perilous waters between Hong Kong and Singapore with a secret...

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Imitation of Life

as Woman at Funeral (uncredited)
Released: 1934-11-23

A struggling widow and her daughter take in a black housekeeper and her fair-skinned daughter....

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Show Boat

as Queenie
Released: 1936-05-17

Despite her mother's objections, the naive young daughter of a show boat captain is thrust into...

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Libeled Lady

as Scrubwoman in Grand Plaza Hall (uncredited)
Released: 1936-10-09

When a major newspaper accuses wealthy socialite Connie Allenbury of being a home-wrecker, and...

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Judge Priest

as Aunt Dilsey
Released: 1934-09-15

Judge Priest, a proud Confederate veteran, restores the justice in a small town in the...

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Alice Adams

as Malena Burns - Maid Serving Dinner
Released: 1935-08-23

In the lower-middle-class Adams family, father and son are happy to work in a drugstore, but...

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I'm No Angel

as Manicurist (uncredited)
Released: 1933-10-06

The bold Tira works as dancing beauty and lion tamer at a fair. Out of an urgent need of money,...

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George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1985-03-03

Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.

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The Mad Miss Manton

as Hilda
Released: 1938-10-21

When the murdered body discovered by beautiful, vivacious socialite Melsa Manton disappears,...

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The Great Lie

as Violet
Released: 1941-04-05

After a newlywed's husband apparently dies in a plane crash, she discovers that her rival for...

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Zenobia

as Dehlia
Released: 1939-04-21

A modest country doctor in the antebellum South has to contend with his daughter's upcoming...

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Blonde Venus

as Cora, Helen's Maid in New Orleans (uncredited)
Released: 1932-09-23

In an effort to be able to afford expensive treatment for her gravely ill American husband, a...

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Since You Went Away

as Fidelia
Released: 1944-06-30

While husband Tim is away during World War II, Anne Hilton copes with problems on the homefront....

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Carefree

as Hattie (uncredited)
Released: 1938-09-02

Dr. Tony Flagg's friend Steven has problems in the relationship with his fiancée Amanda, so he...

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The Shining Hour

as Belvedere
Released: 1938-11-18

A nightclub dancer shakes the foundations of a wealthy farming family after she marries into it.

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Vivacious Lady

as Hattie - Maid at Prom Dance (uncredited)
Released: 1938-05-13

College town life gets turned upside down after a button-down botany professor secretly weds a...

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Postal Inspector

as Deborah
Released: 1936-08-16

Postal inspectors track down money stolen from a railroad car.

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Hollywood: The Selznick Years

as 'Gone with the Wind' screen test (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1961-12-31

Henry Fonda hosts this retrospective on the career and films of iconic filmmaker David O....

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1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2009-07-02

This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood's greatest year, with film clips...

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The Bride Walks Out

as Mamie
Released: 1936-07-10

Carolyn Martin is a fashion model who hastily marries her boyfriend, engineer Michael Martin....

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The Impatient Maiden

as Injured Patient (uncredited)
Released: 1932-03-01

A maid's dream comes true but are not quite what she expected.

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True Confession

as Ella
Released: 1937-12-24

A writer takes a job as a secretary because her scrupulous husband isn't bringing in the dough...

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The Little Colonel

as Becky "Mom Beck" Porter
Released: 1935-02-22

After Southern belle Elizabeth Lloyd runs off to marry Yankee Jack Sherman, her father, a former...

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Saratoga

as Rosetta
Released: 1937-07-23

A horse breeder's granddaughter falls in love with a gambler in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

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Operator 13

as Annie (uncredited)
Released: 1934-06-08

American Civil War, 1862. After the disaster of the Second Battle of Bull Run, Major Allen,...

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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 1983-02-25

Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas,...

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Are You Listening?

as Performer entering radio station
Released: 1932-03-21

WBLA is on the air, presenting the live music, the sudsy dramas and the sell-sell-sell of...

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Hello, Sister!

as Woman in Apartment House
Released: 1933-04-14

Peggy and her friend Millie are strolling down Broadway while Jimmy and Mac are trolling...

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Affectionately Yours

as Cynthia, Sue's Cook
Released: 1941-05-10

A married reporter's assignments carry him all over the world, which gives him ample opportunity...

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Maryland

as Aunt Carrie
Released: 1940-07-19

A woman tormented by the hunting death of her husband forbids her son to have anything to do...

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The Big Wheel

as Minnie
Released: 1949-11-04

The ambitious son of an accomplished race driver struggles to outrun his father's legacy and...

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Thank Your Lucky Stars

as Gossip in 'Ice Cold Katie' Number
Released: 1943-09-25

An Eddie Cantor look-alike organizes an all-star show to help the war effort.

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Margie

as Cynthia
Released: 1946-10-15

A woman reminisces about her teenage years in the 1920s, when she fell in love with her teacher.

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Murder by Television

as Isabella
Released: 1935-10-01

James Houghland, inventor of a new method by which television signals can be instantaneously...

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Hypnotized

as Powder Room Attendant
Released: 1932-12-25

A Gypsy violinist searches for her missing fiance, a circus worker who recently won a...

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The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1988-10-01

This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests,...

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The Washington Masquerade

as Maid (uncredited)
Released: 1932-07-09

An honest, talented and well respected attorney defeats a corrupt incumbent U.S. Senator. After...

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Everybody's Baby

as Hattie
Released: 1939-03-24

The Jones family encounters new theories of childrearing when an author arrives in town to...

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Johnny Come Lately

as Aida
Released: 1943-09-03

Cagney is a human dynamo as a drifter who helps save ailing Grace George from losing her...

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Janie

as April, Conway's Maid
Released: 1944-09-02

Teenage Janie falls in love with a private from an Army base opposed by her editor father.

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Reunion

as Sadie
Released: 1936-11-20

Newspapers around the world proclaim the birth in Moosetown, Canada of the 3,000th baby brought...

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Sky Racket

as Jenny
Released: 1937-10-01

A government agent sets out to capture a gang of airmail bandits who use a death ray to blow...

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Never Say Goodbye

as Cozy
Released: 1946-11-09

Phil and Ellen Gayley have been divorced for a year, and their 7-year old daughter, Flip, is...

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Family Honeymoon

as Phyllis
Released: 1948-12-06

Grant Jordan, bachelor botany professor, marries Katie, a widow with three kids, despite the...

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Babbitt

as Rosalie (uncredited)
Released: 1934-12-08

Middle aged George F. Babbitt is a leading citizen in the town of Zenith, the fastest growing...

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Merry Wives of Reno

as Bunny's Maid (uncredited)
Released: 1934-04-18

Three couples raise a ruckus when they travel to Nevada for quickie divorces.

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Another Face

as Nellie (uncredited)
Released: 1935-12-20

The surgeon who did the job was dead. Only the nurse knew what this gangster looked like in his...

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Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

as Self
Released: 1940-07-31

This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including...

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The Singing Kid

as Maid (uncredited)
Released: 1936-04-10

Neurotic Broadway star Al Jackson faces professional ruin when he loses his voice. While...

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Over the Goal

as Hannah
Released: 1937-10-16

The Carlton State star quarterback is wrongly thrown in jail, almost guaranteeing a major loss...

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Don't Tell the Wife

as Mamie (uncredited)
Released: 1937-03-05

After being released from prison, con man Thurston Hall gathers his gang of cronies--along with...

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The Male Animal

as Cleota
Released: 1942-03-12

The trustees of Midwestern University have forced three teachers out of their jobs for being...

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Racing Lady

as Abby
Released: 1937-01-12

A shrewd millionaire who owns races horses for publicity for his automobile business, claims...

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Star for a Night

as Hattie
Released: 1936-08-28

Blind Mrs. Lind comes to American to visit her three children whom she thinks are successful.

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The Shopworn Angel

as Martha
Released: 1938-07-15

During WWI Bill Pettigrew, a naive young Texan soldier is sent to New York for basic training....

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George Washington Slept Here

as Hester
Released: 1942-10-30

New Yorkers Bill and Connie Fuller have to move from their apartment. Without Bill's knowledge,...

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Flirtation

as Abigail (uncredited)
Released: 1934-11-09

A naive farmer encounters a beautiful burlesque dancer on the streets of New York and agrees to...

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Music Is Magic

as Hattie (Amanda in credits)
Released: 1935-11-01

An aging star finally recognizes the truth when she is replaced in her new movie by a girl from...

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The Boiling Point

as Caroline - the Cook (uncredited)
Released: 1932-07-15

Jimmy's uncle gives him 30 days probation on Kirk's ranch to control his temper or lose his...

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Musical Comedy Tonight III

as uncredited
Released: 1985-11-22

Sylvia Fine hosts this musical show featuring some great American singing and dancing stars,...

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We're Only Human

as Molly
Released: 1935-12-27

A cop, who plays by his own rules, brings down a notorious gangster.

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High Tension

as Hattie
Released: 1936-07-10

Brawling cable layer Steve Reardon doesn't want to marry girlfriend Edith but he also doesn't...

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Can This Be Dixie?

as Lizzie
Released: 1936-11-13

A young girl and her uncle who run a traveling medicine show lend their efforts to salvage an...

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Good-bye Love

as Edna the Maid
Released: 1933-11-09

A sexy golddigger lands who she thinks is a wealthy big-game hunter from a royal family. What...

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45 Fathers

as Beulah
Released: 1937-11-26

An orphan girl becomes adopted by a group of old men and is placed in the home of one of them....

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Quick Money

as Hattie (uncredited)
Released: 1937-12-10

Bluford H. Smythe, who has made it big in the big city, has returned to his small hometown of...

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The Crime Nobody Saw

as Ambrosia
Released: 1937-03-12

Three playwrights develop a plot around a drunk who gets killed in their apartment.

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Traveling Saleslady

as Martha Smith (uncredited)
Released: 1935-03-28

A toothpaste magnate's mischievous daughter, tired of her father's traditional ways of...

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The Flame

as Celia
Released: 1947-11-24

George McAllister, the black sheep of a wealthy family who has squandered his share of the...

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Janie Gets Married

as April
Released: 1946-06-22

Newlywed Janie's (Joan Leslie) World War II-veteran husband (Robert Hutton) goes to work at her...

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Valiant Is the Word for Carrie

as Ellen Belle
Released: 1936-10-06

Carrie Snyder is a prostitute, who is forced out of the fictional southern town of Crebillon,...

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3 Is a Family

as Maid
Released: 1944-11-23

Based on a play by Phoebe and Henry Ephron, "3 Is a Family" is a 1940s farce. Charlie Ruggles...

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The Chases of Pimple Street

as Hattie - Gertrude's Maid (uncredited)
Released: 1934-12-22

In order to get out of his boss's doghouse, Charley pairs his troublesome sister-in-law with an...

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Gentle Julia

as Kitty Silvers
Released: 1936-04-10

A shy newspaperman nearly gives up when his girlfriend falls for the new guy in town till...

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Mickey's Rescue

as Maid
Released: 1934-03-22

When Billy get adopted by a rich couple, Mickey and the gang spring into action to bring their...

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Merry Go Round of 1938

as Maid
Released: 1937-11-14

Two screwy characters travel to Hollywood and cause mischief.

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Battle Of Broadway

as Agatha
Released: 1938-04-22

The wealthy owner of a Pennsylvania steel business travels to New York to break up his son's...

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Mickey

as Bertha
Released: 1948-06-23

A pretty, tomboyish teenager comes of age in an American small town.

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The Wildcatter

as Pearl (uncredited)
Released: 1937-06-06

Eager to take advantage of a new oil boom, "Lucky" Conlon leaves his gas station and diner for...

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King Kelly of the U.S.A.

as Mop Buyer
Released: 1934-09-15

A theatrical troupe headed by a flashy showman finds itself in the tiny--and bankrupt--kingdom...

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Wig-Wag

as Cook
Released: 1935-04-11

When Dorothy jilts her fiancee, he tries to make her jealous by getting a friend of his to dress...

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Lost in the Stratosphere

as Ida Johnson
Released: 1934-11-14

Two military pilots are close friends, and share in a lot of hazardous missions while engaging...

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Fate's Fathead

as Mandy - the Maid
Released: 1934-11-17

Accidental meetings and misconceptions lead a blissfully happy couple to fight and squabble.

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The First Baby

as Dora
Released: 1936-04-02

When a couple become parents for the first time, they discover grandmothers can be almost as...

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City Park

as Tessie
Released: 1934-05-01

The old men meet a young girl, broke, hungry and discouraged, in the park. Colonel Henry...

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Arbor Day

as la mère de Buckwheat
Released: 1936-05-02

Truant officers mistake 2 midgets for members of the gang.

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Hattie McDaniel: or A Credit to the Motion Picture Industry

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2004-01-01

“I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry,”...

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Explained

as Self - First Black Oscar Winner (archive footage)
First aired: 2018-05-23

This documentary series, made in partnership with Vox, explain some of the world's current...

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