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Pioneering African American Hollywood Actresses: Nina Mae McKinney, Fredi Washington, Lena Horne, and Hazel Scott

© K Cruver

In the 30s and 40s, Nina Mae McKinney, Fredi Washington, Lena Horne, and Hazel Scott became the first glamorous African American women to appear in Hollywood movies.

Though racism and politics prevented them from reaching the heights of stardom, their groundbreaking work changed the perception of African American women in the movies.

Nina Mae McKinney
1912 (Lancaster, SC) - 1967 (New York, NY)

Nina Mae McKinney was the first African American woman to play a romantic lead in Hollywood. As a teenager, she was picked from the chorus line of Blackbirds to star in Hallelujah (1929), Hollywood's first all-black musical. MGM executives were impressed enough with Nina's performance to offer her a 5-year contract. Unfortunately, she was only offered small parts in low-budget movies.

Nina had better luck in Europe, where she performed with pianist Garland Wilson, and was often billed as "The Black Garbo." Nina also made movies with Paul Robeson in England. Their partnership and Nina's charisma in Sanders of the River (1935) is the only reason this dated tribute to the British Empire is worth seeing.

In the 40s, Nina married a jazz musician and returned to the United States. She sang with a touring band and made a few insignificant movie appearances. In her small role for Pinky (1949) she seems tired and sad, quite different from the sassy lady of 20 years before. Not much is known about the later years of Nina's life. She died at the age of 54 in 1967. Though she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1978, her films are difficult to find.

Fredi Washington
December 23, 1903 (Savannah, GA) - June 28, 1994 (Stamford, CT)

Fredi Washington was a talented and beautiful singer-dancer who struggled to find a place in Hollywood. She was too beautiful to play a maid but wasn't offered romantic leads. Her skin was so pale that some advised her to "pass" for white, but Fredi refused to deny her heritage.

Her first film role was in a musical short called Black and Tan (1929). She also had a small part opposite Paul Robeson in The Emperor Jones (1933). The studio made Fredi darken her face with makeup when they realized it looked like Robeson was wooing a white woman. Fredi's most memorable role was in Imitation of Life (1934), playing a young woman who abandons her darker mother so that she may pass as a white.

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