Hattie McDaniel

About

Best known as the first African American to receive an Academy Award, which she won for the role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind. Her other credits include Beulah and Family Honeymoon.

Before Fame

She worked as a maid, a washroom attendant, and a cook when she couldn't get acting jobs.

Trivia

She could not attend the Academy Awards ceremony to receive her Best Supporting Actress Award for Gone with the Wind because of segregation laws.

Family Life

She married George Langford in 1922, but he died shortly after the marriage. Her brother Sam McDaniel played the butler in the Three Stooges film, Heavenly Daze.

Associated With

Her Gone With The Wind costar, Clark Gable, demanded that director David O'Russell cast her for the role of Mammy.

Video

Hattie McDaniel Highlights