Etta McDaniel (December 1, 1890January 13, 1946) was an American
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
who appeared in over 60 films between 1933 and 1946. She was the sister of actor
Sam McDaniel
Samuel Rufus McDaniel (January 28, 1886September 24, 1962)Tanner, Beccy (November 7, 1991)"McDaniel Opened Doors; 'Gone With the Wind' Was Actress' Most Famous Film" ''The Wichita Eagle''. Retrieved January 3, 2021. was an American actor who ap ...
and actress and
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
winner
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first African ...
.
Early life
McDaniel was born in
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
. She began her entertainment career as a member of
minstrel show
The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century.
Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spe ...
s with several others of her family. Etta married John Alfred Goff, 2 Dec 1908, in Denver, Colorado. Her son was Edgar Henry Goff.
Career
In 1914, at this point, Etta Goff, and her sister
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first African ...
launched an all-female minstrel show, called the McDaniel Sisters Company.
Etta McDaniel's feature film debut was in the 1933 ''
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'', as the native woman who saves her baby from the approaching giant gorilla. She then became a supporting actress or extra, frequently in uncredited roles, performing as maids and nannies, including ''
Lawless Nineties'', 1936, a Western starring
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
. McDaniel died in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, aged 55.
Partial filmography
*''
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'' (1933) as Native Woman
*''
Personal Maid's Secret
''Personal Maid's Secret'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Arthur Greville Collins and written by Lillie Hayward and F. Hugh Herbert. The film stars Margaret Lindsay, Warren Hull, Anita Louise, Ruth Donnelly, Arthur Treacher and Fran ...
'' (1935) as Maid
*''
The Arizonian
''The Arizonian'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by Charles Vidor and starring Richard Dix, Margot Grahame, Preston Foster, and Louis Calhern. The screenplay was by Dudley Nichols. The film was released by RKO Radio Pictures on June 28 ...
'' (1935) uncredited
*''
The Prisoner of Shark Island
''The Prisoner of Shark Island'' is a 1936 American drama film loosely based on the life of Maryland physician Samuel Mudd, who treated the injured presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth and later spent time in prison after his controversial co ...
'' (1936)
*''
Lawless Nineties'' (1936)
* ''
The Magnificent Brute'' (1936)
* ''
Termites of 1938
''Termites of 1938'' is a 1938 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 28th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the ...
'' (1938)
* ''
Life with Henry
''Life with Henry'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Theodore Reed and written by Clifford Goldsmith and Don Hartman. The film stars Jackie Cooper, Leila Ernst, Eddie Bracken, Fred Niblo, Hedda Hopper and Kay Stewart. The film was relea ...
'' (1941)
*''
Johnny Doughboy
''Johnny Doughboy'' is a 1942 American black-and-white musical comedy film directed by John H. Auer for Republic Pictures. It stars Jane Withers in a dual role as a 16-year-old actress who is sick of playing juvenile roles, and her lookalike fan ...
'' (1942)
*''
The Great Man's Lady
''The Great Man's Lady'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea. It is based on the short story "The Human Side" by Viña Delmar.
It was filmed at two locations in Thousand O ...
'' (1942)
*''
Son of Dracula'' (1943)
References
External links
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1890 births
1946 deaths
Actresses from Kansas
Actors from Wichita, Kansas
African-American actresses
American film actresses
20th-century American actresses
RKO Pictures contract players
20th-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
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