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Louise Beavers (March 8, 1902 – October 26, 1962)[1] was an extremely successful American film and television actress. From the 1920s to 1960, she appeared in dozens of films and two hit television shows. Following her high school graduation, Louise began her career as a personal maid to film star Leatrice Joy where she got her first introduction to the film industry. Her acting career began when she was a member of the group Lady Minstrels and appeared on stage at the Loews State Theatre. Charles Butler, an agent for African American actors, saw one of her early performances and strongly recommended that she try out for a role in a movie. Despite her early hesitation due to the portrayal of African Americans in movies and in Hollywood, she gave it a shot and earned herself a role in the film Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1927). She began her career playing predominantly traditional black female roles in films which included acting as a slave, a mother figure, a maid, or domestic servant. After playing the role of Julia in Coquette (1929) she gained more attention for her work and was able to transition to less stereotypical roles. Louise’s role as Delilah, a black housekeeper, in Imitation of Life (1934) included a parallel plot to the main plot. This was very unusual for African Americans to have such a role at that time. A couple of years later in 1939, Louise was the lead as a progressive probation officer in the film Reform School. As she performed more, she received a lot of criticism for playing roles which perpetuated stereotypes about black Americans. She did not let the criticisms affect her and responded by saying that, “I am only playing the parts. I don't live them.” Louise also played a housekeeper on the first television sitcom, the Beulah television show, to star a black person. As her career continued, Louise stood up for African Americans in Hollywood and pushed for better treatment and portrayal.  

Louise Beavers played a prominent role in advancing the lives of African Americans through her work on and off the screen. As her film career progressed she showed that African Americans could play roles other than those traditionally saved for them, such as slaves and maids. Blacks could instead be the lead with a commanding presence and in turn be successful and liked for their acting in those roles. Louise served as a vocal and driven member of the black community in Los Angeles, California. She spent much of her time working with fellow African American advocates seeking ways to better the lives of her fellow black Americans. Through her efforts on and off camera she made advances for the treatment of blacks and for the way they were viewed and the value they were given both in and out of Hollywood. - updated lead section, it was originally two short lines and I added the vast majority of the above information to ensure the lead section better encapsulated the content in the rest of the article

Her career began with her first performance in the Lady Minstrels. Soon after, she participated in a contest at the Philharmonic Auditorium. - edit within the Early Life section

Citation for the section: “ Beavers was one of three actresses (including Hattie McDaniel and Ethel Waters) to portray housekeeper Beulah on the Beulah television show. That show was the first television sitcom to star a black person. She also played a maid, Louise, for the first two seasons of The Danny Thomas Show(1953–1955).” There was a citation needed at the end of this section.

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