Butterfly (born Thelma) McQueen (January , â€" December , ) was an
American actress. Originally a dancer, McQueen first appeared in film
in as Prissy in Gone with the Wind. She was unable to attend the
movie's premiere because it was held at a whites-only theater. Often
typecast as a maid, she said: "I didn't mind playing a maid the first
time, because I thought that was how you got into the business. But
after I did the same thing over and over, I resented it. I didn't mind
being funny, but I didn't like being stupid." She continued as an
actress in film in the s, and then moved to television acting in the
s. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in the ABC
Afterschool Special.Born January , , in Tampa, Florida, Thelma McQueen
planned to become a nurse until a high-school teacher suggested that
she try acting. McQueen initially studied with Janet Collins and went
on to dance with the Venezuela Jones Negro Youth Group. Around this
time she acquired the nickname "Butterfly" â€" a tribute to her
constantly moving hands â€" for her performance of the Butterfly
Ballet in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Disliking her
birth name, she later legally changed it to Butterfly McQueen. She
performed with the dance troupe of Katherine Dunham before making her
professional debut in George Abbott's Brown Sugar. In , at age ,
McQueen received a bachelor's degree in political science from City
College of New York.[citation needed]McQueen was appearing on the
Broadway stage in the comedy What a Life in when she was spotted by
Kay Brown, talent scout for David O. Selznick, then in pre-production
for Gone With the Wind (eventually released in ). Brown recommended
that McQueen audition for the film. After Selznick saw her screen
test, he never considered anyone else and McQueen was cast in the role
that would become her most identifiable â€" "Prissy", a simple-minded
house maid. She uttered the famous words: "Oh, Miss Scarlett! I don't
know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies!" Her distinctive, high-pitched
voice was described by a critic as "the itsy-little voice fading over
the far horizon of comprehension". While the role is well known to
audiences, McQueen did not enjoy playing the part and felt it was
demeaning to African-Americans.She also played an uncredited bit part
as a sales assistant in The Women (), filmed after Gone with the Wind
but released before it. She also played Butterfly, Rochester's niece
and Mary Livingstone's maid in the Jack Benny radio program for a time
during World War II. She appeared in an uncredited role in Mildred
Pierce () and played a supporting role in Duel in the Sun (). By , she
had grown tired of the ethnic stereotypes she was required to play and
ended her film career.
American actress. Originally a dancer, McQueen first appeared in film
in as Prissy in Gone with the Wind. She was unable to attend the
movie's premiere because it was held at a whites-only theater. Often
typecast as a maid, she said: "I didn't mind playing a maid the first
time, because I thought that was how you got into the business. But
after I did the same thing over and over, I resented it. I didn't mind
being funny, but I didn't like being stupid." She continued as an
actress in film in the s, and then moved to television acting in the
s. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in the ABC
Afterschool Special.Born January , , in Tampa, Florida, Thelma McQueen
planned to become a nurse until a high-school teacher suggested that
she try acting. McQueen initially studied with Janet Collins and went
on to dance with the Venezuela Jones Negro Youth Group. Around this
time she acquired the nickname "Butterfly" â€" a tribute to her
constantly moving hands â€" for her performance of the Butterfly
Ballet in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Disliking her
birth name, she later legally changed it to Butterfly McQueen. She
performed with the dance troupe of Katherine Dunham before making her
professional debut in George Abbott's Brown Sugar. In , at age ,
McQueen received a bachelor's degree in political science from City
College of New York.[citation needed]McQueen was appearing on the
Broadway stage in the comedy What a Life in when she was spotted by
Kay Brown, talent scout for David O. Selznick, then in pre-production
for Gone With the Wind (eventually released in ). Brown recommended
that McQueen audition for the film. After Selznick saw her screen
test, he never considered anyone else and McQueen was cast in the role
that would become her most identifiable â€" "Prissy", a simple-minded
house maid. She uttered the famous words: "Oh, Miss Scarlett! I don't
know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies!" Her distinctive, high-pitched
voice was described by a critic as "the itsy-little voice fading over
the far horizon of comprehension". While the role is well known to
audiences, McQueen did not enjoy playing the part and felt it was
demeaning to African-Americans.She also played an uncredited bit part
as a sales assistant in The Women (), filmed after Gone with the Wind
but released before it. She also played Butterfly, Rochester's niece
and Mary Livingstone's maid in the Jack Benny radio program for a time
during World War II. She appeared in an uncredited role in Mildred
Pierce () and played a supporting role in Duel in the Sun (). By , she
had grown tired of the ethnic stereotypes she was required to play and
ended her film career.
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