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Thelma McQueen attended public school in Augusta, Georgia and graduated from high school in Long Island, New York. She studied dance with Katherine Dunham, Geoffrey Holder, and Janet Collins. She danced with the Venezuela Jones Negro Youth Group. The "Butterfly" stage name, which does describe her constantly moving arms, actually derives from dancing the "Butterfly Ballet" in a 1935 production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Her stage debut was in "Brown Sugar," directed by George Abbott for whom she did several other stage shows. In 1939 she appeared as the shop girls' assistant Lulu in The Women (1939) and in her most famous role, the irresponsible, whiny Prissy of Gone with the Wind (1939) ("Oh, Miss Scarlett, I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' babies").

Two other notable appearances among her string of silly maid parts were in Flame of Barbary Coast (1945) and Mildred Pierce (1945). From 1947 to 1951, she was a regular on the radio show "Beulah" and then in the TV version 1950-52.

In 1980, a Greyhound Bus Lines guard mistook her for a pickpocket and handled her roughly, throwing her against a bench and cracking several of her ribs. She sued for assault, and after several years of litigation, she was awarded $60,000. She chose to live very frugally on the money and retired to a small town outside Augusta, Georgia, where she lived in anonymity in a modest one-bedroom cottage.

On the night of Dec. 22, 1995, a fire broke out in her home, and she was found by firefighters lying on the sidewalk outside with severe burns over 70 percent of her body. She said her clothes caught fire while she was trying to light a kerosene heater in her cottage, which was destroyed by the fire. She was taken to Augusta Regional Medical Center, where she died at age 84.

Stewart Bradley was born on 24 February 1924 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Kraft Theatre (1947), The Virginian (1962) and The Secret Files of Captain Video (1953). He was married to Yoko Suzuki. He died on 22 December 1995 in Cambria, California, USA.

William Cottrell was born on 19 November 1906 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was a writer, known for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). He was married to Hazel Sewell. He died on 22 December 1995 in Burbank, California, USA.

Hisashi Sakaguchi was born on 5 May 1946 in Saitama, Japan. He was a director, known for UFO senshi Diapolon (1976), Fumoon (1980) and Dame Oyaji (1974). He died on 22 December 1995 in Japan.

Takuzô Kawatani was born on 21 July 1941 in China. He was an actor, known for Piranha-gundan: Daboshatsu no ten (1977), Bakumatsu seishun graffiti: Ronin Sakamoto Ryoma (1986) and Empire of Passion (1978). He died on 22 December 1995.

Ülkü Özen was born on 17 February 1951 in Bilecik, Turkey. She was an actress, known for Çifte Yürekli (1970), Güney Ölüm Saçiyor (1969) and Piyade Osman (1970). She died on 22 December 1995 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Klimenti Mints was born on 21 January 1908 in Yekaterinburg, Russia. He was a writer and director, known for Schweik gotovitsya k boyu (1942), By the Bluest of Seas (1936) and Boyevoy kinosbornik 7 (1941). He died on 22 December 1995 in Moscow, Russia.

Tom Pettit was born on 23 April 1931 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for First Tuesday (1969), The Huntley-Brinkley Report (1956) and Meet the Press (1947). He died on 22 December 1995 in New York City, New York, USA.

Pierre Cour was born on 5 April 1916 in Brunoy, Essonne, France. He was a writer and actor, known for Pineapple Express (2008), Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and The Umbrella Academy (2019). He was married to Éliane Rouget. He died on 22 December 1995 in Montluçon, Allier, France.

Néstor Luján was born on 1 March 1922 in Mataró, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He was an actor, known for Souvenir (1994), Carandelario (1990) and Domingo en rojo (1990). He died on 22 December 1995 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.