Hattie McDaniel was born on June 1oth, 1893 in Wichita City, Kansas and died on October 26th, 1952 in Los Angeles, California. She suffered from a stroke which caused her to be admitted to the Temple Hospital, where she later died from breast cancer. Hattie McDaniel was an activist, singer, drummer, and actress. She starred in over 300 films, performed on the radio and made music for films, and also led a movement that led the Supreme Court to overturn racially restrictive housing covenants. Throughout her life she was married multiple times, including to Howard Hickman, George Langford, James Lloyd Crawford, and also Larry Williams.
In 1940, she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress due to her incredible performance in the film Gone With The Wind. This made her the first African American woman to win an Oscar, despite the struggles she experienced due to racism in 1940s America.
