A History Of Black Maids In Hollywood

As we mark the 12th anniversary of the release of "The Help" in 2011, we look back at the history of Black maids in Hollywood.

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Gone With the Wind - This historical epic, based on Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, about the Civil War and Reconstruction from the point of view of white Southerners is as American as grits and biscuits. Despite ample criticism of it's idyllic portrayal of Southern gentility and race relations, this ten-time Oscar winning picture has earned a place in film history, ranked fourth among AFI's 100 Greatest Films of All Time.  (Photo: Silver Screen Collection)
Dorothy Dandridge in The King and I - The songbird was pursued for the role of Tuptim in this 1956 classic, but turned it down on the advice of Otto Preminger, her director from Carmen Jones, who dissuaded her from accepting a supporting role. Her biopic, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, also suggests she passed because the character was a slave.(Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Juanita Moore: Imitation of Life - We all know Juanita Moore as the mother of the pimp Goldie in the 1973 blaxploitation classic The Mack. But this long-time actress had her breakout role in the 1959 remake of Imitation of Life. Playing the maid Annie Johnson, Moore pulled double duty: taking care of her bosses home while also reminding her own daughter—who was passing for white—that she should accept her Blackness.

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As we mark the 12th anniversary of the release of "The Help" in 2011, we look back at the history of Black maids in Hollywood. The anniversary of "The Help" serves as a reminder of the industry's progress while highlighting the need for continued efforts to tell authentic and empowering stories of Black women in cinema.

Photo By Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images, DreamWorks Pictures

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