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. A radiantly beautiful sepia girl, he wrote, who will be a winner when she has proper direction., She had proper direction in two all-black movie musicals, both made in 1943. ''I was not naturally ambitious,'' she said. I dont have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped Id become. Among its more fascinating members were these: * Moses Calhoun, who was freed from slavery after the Civil War at age 36 and became a restaurateur in Atlanta. He did, and soon she had signed a seven-year contract with MGM. Several years ago, Lena Horne asked her daughter, Gail Lumet Buckley, to store in her basement an old family trunk that had belonged to Miss Horne's father. South before Horne was returned to her grandparents' home in "She was Walter White and Paul Robeson's test case," explained Buckley. And while she was at it, Miss Horne said, ''You might take a look in it. After making her Broadway debut in the fall 1934 production Dance With Your Gods, she joined Noble Sissle & His Orchestra as a singer, using the name Helena Horne. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Dropped out of school and began performing at the Cotton Club in Harlem (age 16). Her great-grandchildren include Jake Cannavale. What are you trying to do?' * Cora Calhoun Horne, Edwin's third wife, who played a major role in raising Lena Horne. whom she had known as a child. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Lena Calhoun Horne was born in Brooklyn on June 30, 1917. * 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. daughter, Gail, and a son, Edwin (they separated in Born on June 30, 1917 Lena Horne was the daughter of Edwin Fletcher Horne Junior and Edna Louise Scrotton in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. She is survived by her daughter Gail Lumet Buckley, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. star with many of the African American actors of the day and her roles (1943) and then some nonspeaking roles in Lena Horne is known as one of the most popular African American Search above to list available cemeteries. While Lumet, who's developing a limited series for Showtime about Horne, has "great pride" in her grandmother's work, she added, "All this extraordinary stuff, it doesn't necessarily exist around the dinner table." Barnet Orchestra. "The technology aspect would make her so happy, that they've created original platforms for themselves. She married Lennie Hayton, a white bandleader, in December 1947 in Paris, France, but they kept their marriage a secret for three years. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. AP Photo Stephen Chernin The daughter of Lena Horne, Gail Lumet-Buckley, second right, and grand-daughter Jenny Lumet third right, are surrounded by friends and family at the funeral for . Movement. 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. In her biography she stated that, on the day she was born, her father was in the midst of a card game trying to get money to pay the hospital costs. Miss Lena Horne, as she was usually billed, was a walking and singing self-contradiction. My family had gospel singers. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. "We were very close," Lumet laughed. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? There was an error deleting this problem. Another major role followed in In 1991, she was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame. Please try again. depression from which she emerged seemingly more determined than ever. In a message of condolence, President Obama said Ms. Horne had "worked tirelessly to further the cause of justice and equality. And you have to do it.' Although it is true that Hornes personal views, political inclinations and activism put her at odds with the established big hitters of the entertainment industry of her time; she did not let it bog her down and continued to be continued to work for upliftment of the people of colour across America. Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52189627/lena-horne. '', For her part, Mrs. Buckley said, beaming back at her mother, ''I loved finding the little girl in you; learning about the things you had never talked about before, for example that all your favorite books were about orphans. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. MGM's remake of, She was branded a "Communist sympathizer" by many right-wing conservatives because of her association with. Writing the book, she said, ''made me feel two things I have never felt before: incredibly American and incredibly black, and there is nothing else that I could possibly be.''. significant voice in the struggle for equality and justice for African McCarthyism was sweeping through Hollywood, and Horne soon found herself blacklisted, believed to be due in part to her friendship with actor Paul Robeson, who was also blacklisted. She worked in various shows on television, films and also in plays at some of the leading theatres of the time throughout a career that stretched over a period of seven decades in total. Lena hit the big time when she signed a contract with Hollywood heavyweights Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer in the year 1943. '', What the trunk also contained was the fragmented structure of a book. By age seven, her mother had reclaimed her, and, at age 16, Lena (who attended Girls High School in Brooklyn and took dance lessons while there) dropped out of school to join the chorus at the Cotton Club in Harlem. Spouses. Of course the black guys couldnt put Betty Grables picture in their footlockers. . in white films were limited, since Hollywood was not ready to portray Actress and singer Adelaide Hall, who was also a part of the project, became her earliest mentor in the industry. Roger Edens, the composer and musical arranger who had been Judy Garlands chief protector at MGM, had heard the elegant Ms. Horne sing at Caf Society and also went to hear her at the Little Troc. Lent to 20th Century Fox for Stormy Weather, one of those show business musicals with almost no plot but lots of singing and dancing, Ms. Horne did both triumphantly, ending with the sultry, aching sadness of the title number, which would become one of her signature songs. ", These moments that you think, Wow, this is history, it was just her life.. In 1990, Ms. Horne reminisced: My only friends were the group of New Yorkers who sort of stuck with their own group like Vincente, Gene Kelly, Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen, and Richard Whorf the sort of hip New Yorkers who allowed Paul Robeson and me in their houses., Since blacks were not allowed to live in Hollywood, Felix Young, a white man, signed for the house as if he was going to rent it, Ms. Horne said. It was indeed a momentous occasion as Horne became the first black person to have represented a Hollywood studio of that size. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Blackbirds of 1939 ", 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. GREAT NEWS! in Brooklyn, New York, USA , United States, Died on May 09, 2010 The people who matter are out there -- the Pullman porters, those people. We have set your language to During this period, her marriage to Louis Jones (whom she married at age 19 and had a daughter and son) had ended. Learn more about merges. Entertainer. because it was never for how great I was or what I contributed. "She was supposed to be ladylike, and I guess that kind of raw fully passionate performance was too scary.". Birthplace New York City , NY. (1943), and Lena Horne died on May 9, 2010, in Manhattan. (1942), got mad, she recalled. However, she continued to work in nightclubs as an entertainer till the ban was lifted in 1956. entertainment manager John Hammond, who got her a long engagement at the + - Leaflet | MapTiler, Map data OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA In the same topic (1942), commanding stage presence, she performed in nightclubs, concert halls, In the early 1940s, Horne became the first black performer signed to a long-term MGM contract. 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. Three years after her first marriage ended in divorce, Lena got married for the second time to music director Lennie Hayton in 1947. In 1947, she married musician Lennie Hayton. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. You have to be taught to be second class; you're not born that In 1937 Horne married minor politician Louis Jones, by whom she had a In MGMs Cabin in the Sky, the first film directed by Vincente Minnelli, she was the brazen, sexy handmaiden of the Devil. As Thousands Cheer (1948). Lena Horne Family Background & Career. Maura Hohman is the senior health editor for TODAY.com and has been covering health and wellness news and trends since 2015, when she graduated from journalism school. Gail Lumet Buckley (left) and her mother, Lena Horne, at an awards ceremony in 1987.