The First Black Actress Oscar Nominee Faced Fame, Barriers, and a Heartbreaking Reality Behind the Historic Moment

Hattie McDaniel’s win at the 12th Academy Awards is still remembered as one of the most important moments in Hollywood history. In the 1930s, Black actors were almost always limited to small, uncredited roles.

McDaniel, whose parents had been enslaved, broke through that barrier with her performance as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. On February 29, 1940, she became the first Black person to win an Oscar, taking home the trophy for Best Supporting Actress.

But her victory came with painful limitations. The ceremony took place at the Ambassador Hotel’s Cocoanut Grove, a venue that usually banned Black guests. McDaniel had to get special permission just to attend, and even then, she was seated at a segregated table at the back of the room, far from stars like Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. Still, her achievement did not go unnoticed.

Reports from the night say the applause for her win was one of the loudest of the evening. In her speech, she said she hoped to “always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry.”

Despite McDaniel’s groundbreaking win, Hollywood’s racial barriers lasted for decades. It would take 24 years for another Black actor to win an Oscar—Sidney Poitier in 1964—and 50 years before a Black woman in the same category, Whoopi Goldberg, earned the trophy.

Today, McDaniel’s story is being revisited in a new biopic called Behind Her Smile. Actress Raven Goodwin is set to play McDaniel and explore her life beyond the Mammy role, showing her as a singer, songwriter, and trailblazer. Goodwin has said it is a challenging role because there is very little footage of McDaniel’s personal life outside of her acting.

Her legacy also comes at a time when Hollywood is still working on representation. According to the 2025 UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, people of color were just 25.2% of lead roles in theatrical films in 2024, far below their 44.3% share of the U.S. population. However, there has been progress since McDaniel’s time.

Since her win, 19 Black actors have won Academy Awards across the four acting categories, totaling 23 wins, including multiple-time winners. Gone with the Wind itself is now seen in a complicated light.

While it remains one of the highest-grossing films ever when adjusted for inflation, modern streaming platforms often include warnings about the film’s depiction of the Confederacy and slavery. For many, the movie is both a technical masterpiece and a reminder of the prejudice McDaniel had to face to make history.

In 2023, the Academy replaced McDaniel’s original Oscar plaque, which had been missing from Howard University for decades, in a ceremony called “Hattie’s Come Home.” The event highlighted her lasting impact and the long journey toward justice and recognition in Hollywood.

As new films and documentaries tell her story, people are finally seeing the full picture: McDaniel was not just Mammy, but a talented, ambitious artist who helped change the industry forever.

How do you think Hattie McDaniel’s legacy should be remembered today, balancing her historic Oscar win with the challenges of the film that brought her fame? Share your thoughts in the comments.