On this day in 1985, Hattie McDaniel, became the first Black actor to win an Academy Award

Hattie McDaniel was born in Wichita, Kansas, the youngest of 13 children. Though both of her parents were former slaves, Hattie managed to pave the way for future black actors and actresses.

Hattie first began her career as a singer, and then branched off into acting. At the age of 15, she left school to join a traveling minstrel group before embarking on a radio career. She was in fact the first African America to sing on the radio.

In 1932, she was featured as a house servant in film, The Golden West, which launched her acting career. Throughout the 1930’s Hattie appeared in over 300 films on the big screen. While her acting career soared, she casted for her role in Gone With The Wind in 1939, which would put her at the peak of her acting career.

A crowd gathers outside the Astor Theater on Broadway during New York City’s *Gone with the Wind* premiere in December 1939.

In 1940, Hattie McDaniel’s exceptional role as ‘Mammy’ in Gone With The Wind earned her the Academy Award. Her strength to overcome the odds definitely paved the way for many black actors and actresses who later excelled in the American film industry.