Bio hattie mammy mcdaniel wife

McDaniel was also a professional singer-songwriter, comedian, stage actress, radio performer, and television star. Hattie McDaniel was in fact the first black woman to sing on the radio in America.

Hattie mcdaniel funeral

Over the course of her career, McDaniel appeared in over films, although she received screen credits for only about She gained the respect of the African American show business community with her generosity, elegance, and charm. Hattie McDaniel was born on June 10, in Wichita, Kansas, the thirteenth child of Henry McDaniel, a Baptist minister and sometime minstrel performer, and his wife Susan Holbert, both former slaves.

When she was still very young, her parents moved the family to Denver, Colorado, a primarily white community, where Hattie grew up and demonstrated talents for singing and drama at school. After two years of high school, Hattie abandoned her education for a career in show business, joining her father and brother Otis on the road as part of a touring minstrel company.

Hattie mcdaniel net worth

By Hattie was singing on the radio with "Professor George Morrison and his Melody Hounds," one of Denver's most respected black musical groups, and touring vaudeville circuits throughout the West. With the onset of the Great Depression, however, little work was to be found for minstrel or vaudeville players, and to support herself McDaniel went to work as a bathroom attendant at Sam Pick's club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Although the club as a rule hired only white performers, some of its patrons became aware of McDaniel's vocal talents and encouraged the owner to make an exception. McDaniel performed at the club for more than a year until she left for Los Angeles, where her brother found her a small role on a local radio show, The Optimistic Do-Nuts; known as Hi-Hat Hattie, she became the show's main attraction before long.

In this picture McDaniel was given the opportunity to sing a duet with Will Rogers — , the well-known American humorist. Her performance was well received by the press and her fellow actors alike. Once established in Hollywood, McDaniel found no shortage of work. In alone she appeared in twelve films.