Butterfly McQueen
(1911 - 1995)She will always be remembered for one role and, in some ways, as a stereotypical black actress but she was a talented actress. Born Thelma McQueen January 8, 1911 in Tampa, Florida, the daughter of a stevedore and a domestic, she grew up in Georgia. Originally she studied nursing but a friend suggested she would make a good actress and she began to audition. She made her debut on Broadway in 1937 and gradually made her way into films. She got her name Butterfly from dancing in the Butterfly Ballet of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." She was most often cast in the role of maids and domestics but it was work! Among her credits are: "The Women" (1939) as Lulu, Cosmetics Counter maid, her film debut; her most famous role as Prissy in "Gone With the Wind" (1939); "Affectionately Yours" (1941) as Butterfly; "Cabin in the Sky" (1943) as Lily; "I Dood It!" (1943) with Red Skelton, as Annette; "Flame of the Barbary Coast" (1945) as Beulah; "Mildred Pierce" (1945) with Joan Crawford, as Lottie in an uncredited role; "Duel in the Sun" (1946) as Vashti; "Amazing Grace" (1974) as Clarine and "Mosquito Coast" (1988) with Harrison Ford, as Ma Kennywick, her last theatrical film. On television she is best remembered as Oriole on "Beulah" (1950-53) and an ABC Afterschool Special "The Seven Wishes of a Rich Kid." She also appeared in the made for TV movies: "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1981) and "Polly" (1989) as Miss Priss. She died in a house fire of burns on December 22, 1995 in Augusta, Georgia at age 84.
From Great Character Actors, Page 2.
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