The First African-american Actress Who Won The Emmy Awards?

The first African-American actress to win an Emmy award was Gail Fisher. The American actress was one of the first African-American women to play a major acting role on the television. After appearing in a number of popular adverts, she secured the role of Peggy Fair in the detective series Mannix. This was her most major TV role in her career, and in 1970 she was the Emmy award for best supporting actress in a television drama series. The next two years she was consecutively nominated for the same award again. In 1971 and 1973, she won Golden Globe awards for best supporting actress and best actress respectively; she was nominating in other years for the same awards on two occasions.

• Gail Fisher: Rise to fame

After growing up in poverty from a young age with four siblings, Gail Fisher successfully graduated from high school after attaining recommendable examination results. In the later years of her high school career, she was a cheerleader and also entered a number of beauty contests. She won a variety of beauty titles for her outstanding performances, including Miss Black New Jersey and Miss Press Photographer. After winning a competition endorsed by Coca-Cola, she gained a two year scholarship to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

After working part time as a model, Gail Fisher played actresses in a number of television adverts. She went on to make minor TV appearances in shows such as Play of the Week. In the second season of Mannix, she gained a substantial supporting role which was later adapted to be a main role. This was her last major work as an actress; it can be assumed that she was tired of the profession and had earnt enough money for an early retirement when the show was cancelled in 1975.