Butterfly McQueen
Biography
Butterfly McQueen was an American actress who began as a dancer and made her screen debut as Prissy in Gone with the Wind (1939). Born in Tampa, Florida, and raised in Augusta, Georgia, she trained with Janet Collins, danced with Katherine Dunham's troupe, and her first professional work was in George Abbott's Brown Sugar. A talent scout spotted her in the Broadway comedy What a Life and she was cast as Prissy, the role she remained best known for; she was often typecast as a maid and resented it. Her films included Mildred Pierce (1945), Duel in the Sun (1946) and The Mosquito Coast (1986), her last feature. She moved into television in the 1950s, was featured in Beulah from 1950 to 1952, and won a 1980 Daytime Emmy Award for the ABC Afterschool Special Seven Wishes of a Rich Kid. She died in 1995.
84years old at death
- Born Tampa, Florida, USA
- Died Augusta
- Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
- Also credited as Thelma McQueen
Movie Career
- Films
- 6
- Career span
- 47 years1939 to 1986
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Big break
In 1938, Butterfly McQueen was spotted by Kay Brown while appearing in the Broadway comedy What a Life. Brown, a talent scout, recommended that McQueen audition for Gone with the Wind.
About the name
McQueen got the nickname Butterfly from her role in the Butterfly Ballet in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She disliked her birth name and later made Butterfly McQueen her legal name.
A role that slipped away
McQueen appeared in the original staging of the musical The Wiz, which opened in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1974. She was the Queen of the Field Mice, but the part was removed when the show was revised before Broadway.
Butterfly McQueen movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- Gone with the Wind1939 Drama, History, Romance, Waras Prissy - House Servant
IMDb rating 8.2359K votes
Worked with
Butterfly McQueen shares two films with Hank Bell, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Hank Bell's page
John Wayne's page
Harrison Ford's page
Helen Mirren's page
Paul Fix's page
Gregory Peck's page
1 more creditDirector, 1 film, 1939
All films by 1 more credit
All films by George Cukor
Victor FlemingDirector, 1 film, 1939
All films by Victor Fleming
Awards
Two awards and honors, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| Daytime Emmy Award | Won | ||
| Other honors | |||
| 1975 | Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.