Hannah Washington
Hannah Washington | |
---|---|
Born | Hannah C. Washington October 6, 1923 Los Angeles, California, USA |
Died | January 15, 1990 (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, USA |
Occupation | Child actor |
Relatives | Mildred Washington (aunt) |
Hannah Washington was a former child actor who was active in Hollywood during the 1920s and 1930s.[1][2] A fixture in short comedies — often as a character named Oatmeal — she was one of the few Black child actors in movies at the time.[3][4] She also had roles in 1927's Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1933's King Kong, and 1935's The Littlest Rebel, where she appeared alongside Shirley Temple.[5][6]
Biography
[edit]Hannah was born in Los Angeles, California, to Robert Washington and Fannie Ford; her aunt was actress and dancer Mildred Washington. Her first known on-screen appearance was in 1926's Sea Horses; her parents were also extras on several of her older films.[7] She was signed as a toddler by Sunset Studios in 1927 to a contract to appear in comedies.[4] She appears to have returned from acting around 1935; she later married and had a son. She died in 1990 in Los Angeles.
Select filmography
[edit]- Sea Horses (1926)
- Luke Warm Daze (1926)
- The Notorious Lady (1927)
- Big Pie Raid (1927)
- The Deuce (1927)
- Animal Catchers (1927)
- The Orphans (1927)
- Spooks (1927)
- Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927)
- Fowl Play (1928)
- Bathing Beauty Babies (1928)
- Kids, Cats and Cops (1928)
- A Gallant Gob (1928)
- Busting Buster (1928)
- Mickey's Movies (1928)
- Buster Trims Up (1928)
- Knockout Buster (1929)
- King Kong (1933)
- The Littlest Rebel (1935)
References
[edit]- ^ Warner, Wade (26 Feb 1928). "Behind the Scenes". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
- ^ "Negro Child Acts in Uncle Tom's Cabbage". The Miami Herald. 5 Feb 1927. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
- ^ ""Oatmeal" Cause of Court Contest". The Los Angeles Times. 14 Apr 1928. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
- ^ a b "Hannah Washington in "Us Bunch" Comedies". The Pittsburgh Courier. 29 Jan 1927. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
- ^ Staff, America Film Institute; Institute, American Film; Afi, American Film (1997). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20964-0.
- ^ Clark, Alexis. "How the History of Blackface Is Rooted in Racism". HISTORY. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
- ^ "Both Are 3 But Fail to Agree". The Sacramento Bee. 22 Jan 1927. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
External links
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