Job Actress
Years active 1918-1977
Top Roles Petunia Jackson, Pinky's Granny, Berenice Sadie Brown, Cleona Jones, Marcia's Maid, Dilsey
Top GenresMusical, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Film Adaptation, Short Films
Top TopicsBook-Based, Based on Play, Prejudice
Top Collaborators , , ,
Shares birthday with Barbara Bel Geddes, Dale Evans, Lee Grant  see more..

Fan Favorites:
See Full Filmography

Cabin in the Sky

Cabin in the Sky

Fan rating: 8.75
Pinky

Pinky

Fan rating: 7.50
The Sound and the Fury

The Sound and the Fu...

Fan rating: 7.00

Ethel Waters Overview:

Legendary actress, Ethel Waters, was born on Oct 31, 1896 in Chester, PA. Waters died at the age of 80 on Sep 1, 1977 in Chatsworth, CA .

HONORS and AWARDS:

.

Although Waters was nominated for one Oscar, she never won a competitive Academy Award.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1949Best Supporting ActressPinky (1949)GrannyNominated
.

BlogHub Articles:

No article for at this time. Submit yours here.

Ethel Waters Quotes:

John Henry: Berenice, which eye's your mind's eye?
Berenice Sadie Brown: Don't yank my head back like that, Candy. Frankie and I aren't going to go flying through the ceiling.

John Henry: Mean old bossy Frankie!
Berenice Sadie Brown: Just what is she doing that's so mean? Just trying to get some rest.

Petunia Jackson: [after she runs Jim Henry and his crony off] Oh, Lord! Please forgive me for backsliding, but sometimes when you fight the Devil you've got to jab him with his own pitchfork!

read more quotes from Ethel Waters...



Share this page:
Visit the Classic Movie Hub Blog CMH
ENTER TO WIN Classic Film Tickets, Books and DVDs all year long!
CHECK OUT our Exclusive Interviews with Classic Movie Actors, Authors and more!
BROWSE these Classic Movie Best Sellers on Amazon!
Also a Scorpio

Vivien Leigh

Vivian Mary Hartley
Nov 5, 1913
Darjeeling, British India. [now India]

Joel McCrea

Joel Albert McCrea
Nov 5, 1905
South Pasadena, CA

Rock Hudson

Roy Harold Scherer Jr.
Nov 17, 1925
Winnetta, IL

Claude Rains

William Claude Rains
Nov 10, 1889
Camberwell, London

Grace Kelly

Grace Patricia Kelly
Nov 12, 1929
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
See All Scorpios >>
Best Supporting Actress Oscar 1949
WINNER
Mercedes McCambridge
(as Sadie Burke)
in All the King's Men
Nominee
Ethel Barrymore
(as Miss Em)
in Pinky
Nominee
Celeste Holm
(as Sister Scholastica)
in Come to the Stable
Nominee
Elsa Lanchester
(as Miss Potts)
in Come to the Stable
Nominee

(as Granny)
in Pinky
See more Best Supporting Actress awards>>
Ethel Waters Facts
Waters made headlines in January 1957 when she appeared on the game show "Break the $250,000 Bank" and announced that she was broke and needed the money to pay off back taxes owed to the I.R.S. She won $10,000 by the end of her second week (her winning category was religious music) when the show was abruptly canceled. She accepted the chance to appear on the new show, "Hold That Note" but she wasn't the winner when she appeared on the first episode of the new series.
October 15, 1953 was designated "Ethel Waters Day" in New York City by Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri. Waters was honored in a City Hall ceremony by the Mayor and the Negro Actors Guild for her "limitless and tireless efforts" in advancing the country's democratic ideals at home and abroad. Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, founders of the Guild, were on hand for the occasion.
Universal Pictures announced in November 1968 that they would be making a movie version of Waters autobiography "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" from a screenplay by Peter S. Feibleman, with Julian Blaustein producing. It was planned to use an unknown to play Waters but the film was never made.
See All Related Facts >>
Related Lists
Create a list

10 Favorite Actresses
A list of 10 items created by loveless
See All Related Lists >>