Song of the South with Hattie McDaniel and James Baskett who received an Honorary Academy Award in 1948 for his performance as uncle Remus. Unfortunately, he was too ill to attend the ceremony and passed away later that same year. | Old Black Hollywood

In 1946, James Baskett arrived at Disney to audition for a butterfly’s voice. Walt Disney stopped him mid-sentence: “He’s my man.” Baskett became Uncle Remus—the soul of Song of the South—and sang “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” one of Disney’s most iconic songs. But at the 1946 Atlanta premiere, segregation barred him from entering the theatre celebrating his own work. Praised everywhere, excluded at home. In 1948, he made history as the first Black male actor to receive an Oscar. He died months later, ag