Butterfly McQueen, American actress and dancer (d. 1995)
Butterfly McQueen (born Thelma McQueen; January 8, 1911 – December 22, 1995) was an American actress. Originally a dancer, McQueen first appeared in films as "Prissy" in Gone with the Wind (1939). She was unable to attend the film'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 1940s, and then moved to television acting in the 1950s. She won a 1980 Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in the ABC Afterschool Special episode "Seven Wishes of a Rich Kid".
1911Jan, 7
Butterfly McQueen
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Events on 1911
- 14Jan
Amundsen's South Pole expedition
Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition makes landfall on the eastern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. - 30May
Indianapolis 500
At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first Indianapolis 500 ends with Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp becoming the first winner of the 500-mile auto race. - 31May
Porfirio Díaz
The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution. - 24Jul
Machu Picchu
Hiram Bingham III re-discovers Machu Picchu, "the Lost City of the Incas". - 29Aug
Native Americans in the United States
Ishi, considered the last Native American to make contact with European Americans, emerges from the wilderness of northeastern California.