The U.S. Postal Service honored actress Hattie McDaniel with the 29th collectible postage stamp in its popular Black Heritage commemorative stamps series.

On 25 January, 2006, the U.S. Postal Service added another collectible postage stamp to its Black Heritage commemorative stamps series with their dedication of the 39-cent Hattie McDaniel stamp. McDaniel, an Oscar-winning actress, appears on the 29th stamp in the popular Black Heritage stamp series.

The Life and Career of Hattie McDaniel

According to Britannica.com, Hattie McDaniel was born on 10 June, 1895 in Wichita, Kansas.

At the age of 15, McDaniel, having already shown a skill for music and drama, left school to perform in several traveling minstrel groups. She earned her living performing with the groups, but during the Great Depression McDaniel was forced to work as a bathroom attendant in Sam Pick's club in Milwaukee.

The patrons of the club, having noticed the remarkable voice of McDaniel, successfully lobbied the owner to make an exception to his "whites only" rule for performers. McDaniel wound up performing at Sam Pick's for more than a year until her brother landed her a role on The Optimistic Do-Nuts, a local radio show in Los Angeles. McDaniel's character, Hi-Hat Hattie, quickly became the star of the show.

Following her success on Los Angeles radio, McDaniel began appearing in films. Her first major role was in Judge Priest (1934). She then fell into a series of roles as a maid or cook, a fact that did not sit well with critics who desired a less stereotypical role for blacks in Hollywood. In 1939, Hattie McDaniel reached the height of her fame by delivering her Oscar-winning performance as Mammy in Gone with the Wind.

When Hollywood at last relented from their practice of typecasting blacks in movies, McDaniel's film opportunities began to disappear. However, she landed one final successful role as a maid on The Beulah Show, a weekly radio program that began in 1947.

Hattie McDaniel died of breast cancer on 26 October, 1952 in Hollywood, California.

USPS Hattie McDaniel Black Heritage Stamp

As seen in USA Philatelic: Beyond the Perf, Issue 016, with the Hattie McDaniel issue, the USPS continued its newly-renewed design scheme featuring color portraits for the Black Heritage series. Tim O'Brien created the portrait for the McDaniel stamp.