1930s and 1940s film actress Louise Beavers was merely one of a dominant gallery of plus-sized and plus-talented African-American character actresses forced to endure blatant, discouraging and demeaning stereotypes during Depression-era and WWII Hollywood. It wasn't until Louise's triumphant role in 'Fannie Hurst were typical stereotypes and unmemorable. A long time bachelor lady who finally married in the 1950s, the short and stout actress was plagued by health issues in later years, her obesity and diabetes in particular. She lost her fight on October 26, 1962, at age 60 following a heart attack. In 1976 she was posthumously inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
African-American screen, television, and minstrel actress.
Before becoming an actress, Beavers was the maid for actress Leatrice Joy.
Despite the fact that she was given fourth billing in Imitation of Life , her role was nearly equal in importance to Claudette Colbert s, and was the first instance of a Hollywood film in which a black womans maternal problems were given equal importance to those of the leading white character in a film.
The studio forced her to eat extra servings of food so she could play the "black mammy" roles that were available to actresses of color at the time.
In 1976 she, along with Josephine Baker and Canada Lee were posthumously inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
Playing cooks for most her career, in real life Louise detested cooking.
A member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, one of four African-American sororities at the time.
Louise died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California on October 26, 1962, exactly a decade to the day as her famed counterpart Hattie McDaniel.
Louise was only a year older than actress Fredi Washington , who played her daughter in Imitation of Life .
Her husband, Leroy Moore, was a professional chef.
Appeared as a contestant on a 1961 episode of the Groucho Marx TV series "You Bet Your Life".
Was a registered Republican.
Biography in "Actresses of a Certain Character: Forty Familiar Hollywood Faces from the Thirties to the Fifties" by Axel Nissen.
