Movies List
TV Show List
Colorado Sundown

as Mattie, Jackie's Maid

1952
The Jackie Robinson Story

as Jackie's Mother

1950
My Blue Heaven

as Selma

1950
Good Sam

as Chloe

1948
Lover Come Back

as Martha

1946
Delightfully Dangerous

as Hannah

1945
Dixie Jamboree

as Sam the Deckhand

1944
Du Barry was a Lady

as Niagara

1943
Top Man

as Cleo

1943
All by Myself

as Willie

1943
Holiday Inn

as Mamie

1942
Reap the Wild Wind

as Maum Maria

1942
Belle Starr

as Mammy Lou

1941
No Time for Comedy

as Clementine

1940
I Want a Divorce

as Celestine

1940
Made for Each Other

as Lily (uncredited)

1939
Make Way for Tomorrow

as Mamie

1937
Wings Over Honolulu

as Mammy

1937
Rainbow on the River

as Toinette

1936
Imitation of Life

as Delilah Johnson

1934
The Woman Condemned

as Sally

1934
Bombshell

as Loretta

1933
The Phantom Broadcast

as Minnie

1933
Her Splendid Folly

as Anastasia

1933
Hell's Highway

as Rascal's Sweetheart at Visitor's Center (uncredited)

1932
Good Sport

as September

1931
Louise Beavers Louise Beavers

Birthday

1902-03-08

Place of Birth

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Louise Beavers (March 8, 1902 – October 26, 1962) was an American film and television actress. Beavers appeared in dozens of films and two hit television shows from the 1920s until 1960, most often cast in the role of a maid, servant, or slave. She was a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, one of the four African-American sororities. Beavers was a breakthrough actress for black women and became known as a symbol of a "mammy" on the screen. A mammy archetype "is the portrayal within a narrative framework or other imagery of a black domestic servant, generally good-natured, often overweight, and loud". Louise Beavers started her career in the 1920s. At the time, black people in films were limited to acting in only very few roles, usually as slaves or domestic help. She played the "mammy" in many of the movies she acted in. She started to gain more attention in the acting world after she played the role of Julia in Coquette, which starred Mary Pickford. In this film she played the black maid and mother figure to a young white woman. She once received a review which stated: "Personally, Miss Beavers is just splendid, just as fine as she appears on screen, but she also has a charm all her own, which needs no screen role for recognition. She has a very pleasing personality, one that draws people to her instantly and makes them feel that they are meeting a friend instead of a Hollywood Star." Beavers had an attractive personality, and often played roles in which she helps a white protagonist mature in the course of the movie. In 1934, Beavers played Delilah in Imitation of Life in a dramatic role. Her character again plays a black maid, but instead of the usual stereotypical comedic or purely functional role, Delilah's story line is a secondary parallel plot. The public reacted positively to Beavers' performance. It was not only a breakthrough for Beavers, but was also "the first time in American cinema history that a black woman's problems were given major emotional weight in a major Hollywood motion picture". Some in the media recognized the unfairness of Hollywood's double standard regarding race. For example, California Graphic Magazine wrote, "the Academy could not recognize Miss Beavers. She is black!" As Beavers' career grew, some criticized her for the roles she accepted, alleging that such roles institutionalized the view that blacks were subservient to whites. Beavers dismissed the criticism. She acknowledged the limited opportunities available, but said: "I am only playing the parts. I don't live them." As she became more famous, Beavers began to speak against Hollywood's portrayal and treatment of black Americans, both during production and after promoting the films. Beavers became active in public life, seeking to help support African Americans. In later life, Beavers was plagued by health issues, including diabetes. She died on October 26, 1962, at the age of 60, following a heart attack. Beavers was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1976.
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