Thelma "Butterfly" McQueen I didn't mind playing a maid the first time, because I thought that was how you got into the business. But after I did the same thing over and over I resented it. I didn't mind being funny but I didn't like being stupid. Thelma "Butterfly" McQueen (1911 - 1995) is most famous for her role in Gone With the Wind (1939) as the slave "Prissy" with the high squeaky voice who didn't "know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies." Though she believed the part was demeaning, McQueen brought a comic pathos to her portrayal. For most of her film career, McQueen was usually relegated to playing domestics. Among her better known films are Cabin in the Sky (1943), Mildred Pierce (1945) and Duel in the Sun (1947). McQueen could not attend Gone With The Wind's pre...