Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Oscar, earning Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. She received the award at the 12th Academy Awards for the film’s 1939 release year.
McDaniel’s performance made her the first Black actor to be nominated for and win an Academy Award. Her victory was historically significant, but it took place within the severe racial discrimination of the era. The Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind was held at a whites-only theater, so McDaniel could not attend. At the Oscar ceremony, she and her escort were seated at a segregated table away from the film’s white stars.
McDaniel had already built a career as a singer, comedian, radio performer, and character actor. She appeared in more than 300 films, though most of her roles reflected the limited and stereotyped opportunities available to Black performers in Hollywood. Her Oscar remains a landmark achievement, even as the circumstances surrounding it show the contradictions of 1930s American cinema.