Hattie McDaniel

Lore & Background

McDaniel was the youngest of 13 children born to formerly enslaved parents in Wichita, Kansas. Her mother was a gospel singer, and her father fought in the Civil War with the 12th United States Colored Troops. The family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, then to Denver, where she attended Denver East High School. In 1910, she won a gold medal for reciting a temperance poem. She began her career in minstrel shows with her sister Etta, and later performed with Professor George Morrison's Melody Hounds. From 1926 to 1929, she recorded blues sides for Okeh and Paramount Records. After the stock market crash, she worked as a washroom attendant before returning to performing. She moved to Los Angeles in 1931, where she performed on radio as 'Hi-Hat Hattie' while working as a maid. Her first film appearance was in The Golden West (1932), and she gained larger roles in films such as Judge Priest (1934), Alice Adams (1935), and Show Boat (1936).

Reader's Guide

McDaniel's significance lies in her historic Oscar win as the first African American to receive the honor, a milestone in Hollywood history. However, her career was marked by racism and segregation: she could not attend the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind due to whites-only theaters, and at the Oscars she sat at a segregated table. She was criticized by some in the Black community for the stereotypical roles she played, such as maids and mammies. Despite appearing in over 300 films, she received screen credit for only 83. Her legacy includes two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, induction into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame (1975), a U.S. postage stamp in 2006, and induction into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2010. Her final wish to be buried in Hollywood Cemetery was denied because the graveyard was segregated at the time of her death in 1952.

Did You Know?

• McDaniel was the first black woman to sing on radio in the United States.
• She recorded 16 blues sides between 1926 and 1929.
• She was unable to attend the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind because it was held in a whites-only theater.
• Her final wish to be buried in Hollywood Cemetery was denied due to segregation.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"I desire a white casket and a white shroud; white gardenias in my hair and in my hands, together with a white gard­enia blanket and a pillow of red roses." — Hattie McDaniel "[1] Hattie speak on her funeral in 1952." — Hattie McDaniel "Frequent response to criticism she perpetuated a racist stereotype in her roles as a maid." — Hattie McDaniel "It has made me feel very, very humble, and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything 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." — Hattie McDaniel