McDaniel came to Hollywood in the late 1920’s after being born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. She struggled upward from roles in road companies being cast as everything from “colored Sophie Tucker” to the “female Bert Williams”- to appearances on radio and then finally parts in the movies. She was often criticized because of her stereotyped characters, she answered her critics by saying, “Why should I complain about making seven thousand dollars a week playing a maid? If I didn’t, I’d be making seven dollars a week actually being one!” Her comment gave a vivid picture of the options made available to black performers in the early 1900’s. McDaniel played the fussy, boisterous, big bosomed maid time and time again, using the stereotyped figure to display her remarkable talent for pure comedy. With distinctive aggressiveness and her stupendous sonic boom of a voice, she created rich, dazzling characterizations. She was typed as a mammy. A powerfully built woman that was one of the screen’s greatest presences. Hattie accomplished some amazing achievements during her reign. In 1936 she appeared in 11 films a few of them were: The First Baby, Show Boat, Hearts Divided, High Tension and Star for The Night. This didn’t stop in 1937 McDaniel appeared in 7 more films. The next great highlight in Hattie’s life perhaps became one of the greatest highlights in African American cinema. This highlight was in 1939 when she became the first African American to win an Academy Award. She won this award for being Best Supporting Actress in the excellent film Gone With The Wind. Up until this point audiences was unaware of what a great performer she was.
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