Thanks for your help! provided a permanent legacy. Though she contributed occasional recordings after this, she largely retreated from public life. "This was her life, and what it meant to cross the street meant something different for a person of color than for anybody else. There will be no more jungle movies. Ms. Horne kept Gail, but Mr. Jones refused to give up Teddy, although he did allow the boy long visits with his mother. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. and make their situations in life better. Actually show business was not Miss Horne's idea, and she said she had no singing ability but had to be taught. Horne improve the status of African Americans in the performing arts has Lew Leslie's revues, way. Lumet recalled that after Horne left hotels, staff would sometimes burn the sheets. During this era, she also released albums like Feelin' Good (1965) and Lena in Hollywood (1966). There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. 2. She also assisted Eleanor Roosevelt (18841962) in her Verify and try again. troops. During the 1960s Horne was involved in the American Civil Rights During the 1950s and 1960s, she performed on numerous TV programs, including "Your Show of Shows," "The Ed Sullivan Show," and "The Judy Garland Show." ''To be equal or even to get a foot in the door, it was necessary to be smarter, faster and brighter than whites - and other blacks. I was their daydream. Apart from being a famous entertainer she also went on to become one of the most important civil rights activists in the United States of America during her lifetime and did a lot in order to elevate the situation of African Americans. I was lucky to have it. Not long after her parents divorced, she was left in the care of her grandparents while her mother, a stage actress, pursued her career. Lena Horne died on May 9, 2010, in Manhattan. The Hornes were an established middle class very visible on television, appearing on popular variety shows and in Geographical origins The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. I hope I gave her something in return because her life was not a safe life.". "She was supposed to be ladylike, and I guess that kind of raw fully passionate performance was too scary.". This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. When the neighbors found out, Humphrey Bogart, who lived right across the street from me, raised hell with them for passing around a petition to get rid of me. Bogart, she said, sent word over to the house that if anybody bothered me, please let him know.. entertainment manager John Hammond, who got her a long engagement at the She broke through racial barriers as the first black performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio. After depression from which she emerged seemingly more determined than ever. This account has been disabled. Lena Horne is an amazing woman. Horne insisted on performing for mixed audiences, and since army leadership refused to allow integrated audiences, she wound up putting on a show for a mixed audience of black American soldiers and white German POWs. discrimination and also began working with Paul Robeson in the as a woman of color. By the end of the 1940s, Horne had sued a variety of restaurants and theaters for discrimination and become an outspoken member of the leftist group Progressive Citizens of America. at the JVC Jazz Festival with a tribute concert and the Ella Award for ", Ms. Horne first achieved fame in the 1940s, became a nightclub and recording star in the 1950s and made a triumphant return to the spotlight with a one-woman Broadway show in 1981. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Two Girls and a Sailor She received lifetime achievement awards from the Grammys and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts -- and was named to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in 2006. made her a legendary figure. Horne credited Duke Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn, the esteemed songwriter/pianist, as being largely responsible for her vocal training, and the two enjoyed a close friendship. "I knew her first as a grandma before I understood her as an activist, and that was not something that she necessarily brought home," she explained. attended the Ethical Cultural School, the Girls High School, and a Ms. Horne is survived by her daughter; Gail Lumet Buckley; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. (1943), which also starred her idol, Ethel Waters (19001977). Haskins, James, and Kathleen Benson. Then Freed insisted that Louis B. Mayer, who ran the studio, hear her, too. She broke through racial barriers as the first black performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio. Later she returned to Brooklyn. But as the group's only black member she Actress and singer Lena Horne was one of the most popular performers of her time, known for films such as 'Cabin in the Sky' and 'The Wiz' as well as her trademark song, "Stormy Weather. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. "She'll tell you that the anger was something that existed through the '50s and '60s, and even into the '70s in her performances, and the one-woman show was actually a release of so much of (her anger) and a melting of this ice that she had put around herself for what she felt she needed as her own protection.". ''We were like the rest except for my mother, who has made this happen,'' Mrs. Buckley said. Coretta Scott Kings granddaughter Yolanda Renee King discusses her legacy. An error has occured while loading the map. was signed to a seven-year contract with the movie studio Metro Goldwyn Born In: Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York, United States, Spouse/Ex-: Lennie Hayton, Louis Jordan Jones, place of death: Manhattan, New York, United States, U.S. State: New Yorkers, African-American From New Yorkers, See the events in life of Lena Horne in Chronological Order, (Actress and Dancer Known for Her One-Woman Show 'Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music'). Her son died of kidney failure in 1970; her husband died the following year. I am a black woman. Birth Sign Cancer. Lumet also sees a "throughline" from her grandmother's work as a musician to female artists today, like Solange Knowles and Lizzo. "[In Words and Music] they would cut out 'The Lady Is a Tramp,' which she sang in it. "It was an imitation of a white woman, and she said that. Weve updated the security on the site. The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. She still performed primarily in posh nightclubs around the country as well as Europe and was also able to make some TV appearances. One of her favorite songs of her grandmother's is "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing," which Lumet said was written for Horne by close friend and composer Billy Strayhorn. There is a problem with your email/password. G. Paul Burnett/AP America Salutes Richard Rodgers: The Sound of His Music (1976), https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/lena-horne-6560.php, American Female Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. I had to learn a lot. in romantic, non-menial roles. When screenwriter Jenny Lumet thinks of her maternal grandmother, singer and civil rights activist Lena Horne, she remembers that she used to eat Snickers with a fork and knife. Horne, born in 1917 in New York City's Brooklyn borough, was the first Black performer to be signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio, MGM, and she achieved international fame, even performing for the queen of England in 1964. In 1969, after a lengthy hiatus from the big screen, she returned with her first dramatic role opposite Richard Widmark in "Death of a Gunfighter." made her realize that the African American people were going to unify Then, after appearing in the Broadway musical revue Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1939, she joined a well-known white swing band, the Charlie Barnet Orchestra. Lena Horne, born in 1917, was a famous singer and civil rights activist who famously attended the March on Washington and refused to perform for segregated audiences of troops during World War II. Born on June 30, 1917 Lena Horne was the daughter of Edwin Fletcher Horne Junior and Edna Louise Scrotton in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. She was 92. My life has been about surviving. In 1938, she made her silver screen debut in the picture "The Duke Is Tops" and signed with MGM during the early 1940s. daughter, Gail, and a son, Edwin (they separated in I don't think she would be surprised because it only surprises people who've been asleep this whole time.". Her father, I thought you might like to see a memorial for Lena Horne I found on Findagrave.com. the highest-paid African American entertainer in the United States. politics, and culture and developed a new appreciation of her heritage. She continued to record prolifically well into the 1990s, for RCA and other labels, notably United Artists and Blue Note. They lived in various parts of the South before Horne was returned to her grandparents' home in 1931. record crowds to the Empire Room of the Waldorf-Astoria, and in 1958 and What are you trying to do?' Paul Robeson called her 'the toughest little woman' he'd ever met. In her teens, she started singing in New York City's Cotton Club, which had a strictly white audience, and she went on to have a Tony-winning one-woman show, "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music," on Broadway in the '80s. It was national coverage and a number of movie appearances, established her as Birthday June 30, 1917. In 1997, on the occasion of her eightieth birthday, Horne was honored ", Freddie Mercurys Exquisite Clutter Up for Sale, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Lena Horne, Birth Year: 1917, Birth date: June 30, 1917, Birth State: New York, Birth City: Brooklyn, Birth Country: United States, Best Known For: Actress and singer Lena Horne was one of the most popular performers of her time, known for films such as 'Cabin in the Sky' and 'The Wiz' as well as her trademark song, "Stormy Weather. She became the first African American to be a part of the roster of a major studio in Hollywood and that opened the gates for plenty of new talents from the community. Lena Horne with her granddaughter Jenny Lumet at a gala benefit at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, October 1999. The First Family. One in which music became my refuge and then my salvation. She was featured in Life magazine and became the highest-paid Black entertainer at the time. In 1937 Horne married minor politician Louis Jones, by whom she had a Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Words and Music Horne had two children a son, Teddy Jones, and a daughter, journalist Gail Lumet Buckley, who had Lumet with famed director Sidney Lumet as well as six grandkids. Billy rehearsed me. Cafe Society that Horne learned about African American history, [34] [35] From 1946 to 1962, she resided in St. Albans, Queens, New York, enclave of prosperous African Americans, where she counted among her neighbors Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, and other jazz luminaries. Horne's grandmother Cora Calhoun Horne was well known in her community as an active supporter of many civil rights causes and took . For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Lena Horne was mainly raised by her grandparents, Cora Calhoun and Edwin Horne. I'm free. In Charles Whiting's book "The Long March on Rome", he reports that she In 1969 Horne starred in the movie She was 92. I am a Black woman. National Council for Negro Women. Anyone can read what you share. "There is a consistent fight, and it's not like you get to a place, and then you put it down, and you're done," Lumet explained. My identity is very clear to me now. Her mother left later in order to find work as an actress and Lena was left in the care of her grandparents. No one bothered to put me in a movie where I talked to anybody, where some thread of the story might be broken if I were cut. Born on June 30, 1917 in United States of America, Lena Horne started her career as singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer (1917-2010) . ", Astrological Sign: Cancer, Death Year: 2010, Death date: May 9, 2010, Death State: New York, Death City: New York, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Lena Horne Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/lena-horne, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: March 26, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. movies, and on radio and television. She gained some early stage experience in From that point onward, Horne became a We'll Be Together Again. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. In the year 1963, she participated in a civil rights march in Washington. Looking back at the age of 80,. Directed by Horne's then son-in-law, Sidney Lumet, the film was a version of The Wizard of Oz that featured an entirely African American cast, including Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. When she first read the manuscript, she wept. Nonetheless, she was able to land lead roles in two 1943 movies with an ensemble African American cast, Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. They seem like they're really much more embracing of all of us than we ever were. Search above to list available cemeteries. Although she had an outstanding career in Hollywood, it was much later in life that she produced her best work. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Im free. I dont want her in the movies playing maids.. Lena Horne. ''It was my mother that wanted it. He was just everything that I wanted in a man, she told Mr. Hajdu, except he wasnt interested in me sexually.. She was 92. She had been singing at the Manhattan nightclub Caf Society when the impresario Felix Young chose her to star at the Trocadero, a nightclub he was planning to open in Hollywood in the fall of 1941. Lena Horne, better known by her family name Lena Mary Calhoun Horne, was a popular American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer (1917-2010). Birthplace New York City , NY. Ms. Horne later claimed that for this and other reasons, including her friendship with leftists like Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was born on June 30, 1917 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York to Teddy Horne Jr. and Edna Louise Scottron. Lena Horne made her last public appearance in 1999. Lena Horne died on May 9, 2010 in Manhattan. Gail Lumet Buckley (left) and her mother, Lena Horne, at an awards ceremony in 1987. Its taken me 40-some-odd years to grow comfortable with this song ["Stormy Weather"]. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. * Edwin Horne, Lena Horne's grandfather, born in 1859, the son of a British captain of a Tennessee River trading boat, and an American Indian mother, most likely a Creek or Cherokee. During this period, her marriage to Louis Jones (whom she married at age 19 and had a daughter and son) had ended. Lena Horne Facts. I am a Black woman. After a failed attempt to make it big as an actress on her own, Edna Louise ScottronLena . Today, "people say 'f--- you,' and that's different from, 'We shall overcome.' She was also popular with servicemen, white and black, during World War II, appearing more than a dozen times on the Army radio program Command Performance., The whole thing that made me a star was the war, Ms. Horne said in the 1990 interview. She played Glinda the Good Witch in the 1978 film The Wiz . Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was born on June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of a banker/professional gambler and an actress. Yet, she still moved a great deal in her early years because her mother often took her with her on the road. ", The palpable anger among today's activists would also please Horne because "Grandma had to hide her anger," Lumet said. She died on May 9, 2010 in her home in New York. I no longer have to be a credit. I dont have to be a symbol to anybody; I dont have to be a first to anybody. When she was 16, her mother pulled her out of school to audition for the dance chorus at the Cotton Club, the famous Harlem nightclub where the customers were white, the barely dressed dancers were light-skinned blacks and the proprietors were gangsters. Horne left Barnet in 1941. was the main reason she lost out on playing the mulatto "Julie" in It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it. Oops, we were unable to send the email. ''What I love the most about it is the description of the mother-daughter relationship.'' I am really happy I found this because I just learned about someone.I had to look up a famous jazz singer or musician for a project i had to do and who ever wrote this is really good.I had heard of her music but not yet her.Now I have leaned about her also.And the auther of this is gonna go along way. Make sure that the file is a photo. Members of Lena Horne's family, including her daughter Gail Lumet Buckley and granddaughters Jenny and Amy Lumet, were in attendance. Lena Calhoun Horne was born June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. It is worthwhile to not that it was also one of those rare movies in which the entire cast consisted of African Americans. was kept secret for three years because of racial pressures. manager. Their interracial marriage would be kept a secret for three years due to the likelihood of a backlash. late 1940s she sued a number of restaurants and theaters for race This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. "And they were bowled over by this. I dont have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped Id become. Please enter your email and password to sign in. released her first album in a decade, It's not better, it's just different.". Palmer, Leslie. And Paul Robeson said to her, 'These people aren't important. During her MGM contract, Horne performed in Panama Hattie, Stormy Weather and a number of MGM musicals, including Cabin in the Sky. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Horne left school at age 16 to help support her ailing mother and became a dancer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City. Yet, she still moved a great deal in her early years because her mother Her daughter Gail was born in 1937 and a son, Teddy, in 1940. You have to be taught to be second class; you're not born that The Hornes: An American Family. She reached her listeners emotionally by acting as well as singing the romantic standards like The Man I Love and Moon River that dominated her repertory. American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer, Born on Saturday, June 30, 1917 In the mid-1950s Horne made a movie appearance in [33] Horne was Catholic. '', And then there were Lena Horne's parents, Teddy Horne and Edna Scrotton Horne, who were divorced -considered scandalous in black families in the early 20th century. (1956) and recorded for the first time in five years. Japan fought against France, Great Britain, China, the Soviet Union, and During a short time span from 1970 to 1971, she suffered personal tragedies with the deaths of her father, husband, and son, causing her for a period to go into a state of depression. I am pretty sure she is close knit with Gail and her grandchildren. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Username and password are case sensitive. '', There were many such black families, she continued ''quietly achieving as doctors, lawyers, jurists, architects, but the quiet truth doesn't make headlines.''. In 1942, she got her big break when she got the job of being a singer at a famous Hollywood nightclub named Felix Young Little Trot. Thomas Jones, Lena Horne's grandson, in his role as a chef instructor today (Courtesy: French Culinary Institute) As the biography relates, Samadhi Jones was not always recognized as part of the family by her grandmother, believing the girl was not her son's daughter. Teddy was a bon vivant and gadabout; Edna, the indulged daughter of a family described as ''Yankee to their marrow,'' was emotionally erratic. mac etienne parents haitian, lilith in 12th house celebrities,