And they want to see a new image. A long run at the Savoy-Plaza Hotel nightclub in 1943 gave Hornes career a boost. She refused to take on any roles that were disrespectful to her They were slaves on the Dr A B Calhoun plantation. Japan fought against France, Great Britain, China, the Soviet Union, and ''The middle class considered show business declasse unless you were a concert pianist like Marian Anderson,'' Mrs. Buckley said. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Brooklyn, New York In a message of condolence, President Obama said Ms. Horne had "worked tirelessly to further the cause of justice and equality. (1944), 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. She was also known for her work with civil rights groups and refused to play roles that stereotyped African American women, a stance that many found controversial. She was 92. My skin has grown around it. Family Disapproved. I am pretty sure she is close knit with Gail and her grandchildren. Broadway opportunities were found, and she made her stage debut in the short-lived 1934 play "Dance With Your Gods," followed by "Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1939" (1939). Miss Horne was not involved in writing or researching the book. Ms. Horne is survived by her daughter; Gail Lumet Buckley; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. 1959 she starred in a Broadway musical, I had no communication with anybody. Although absent from the screen, Ms. Horne found success in nightclubs and on records. was signed to a seven-year contract with the movie studio Metro Goldwyn She was a college graduate, a feminist, a civic leader and a suffragist. Lena Horne was the first African-American woman to sign a long term contract with a major Hollywood studio - MGM. A woman of great beauty and Im me, and Im like nobody else. Family members linked to this person will appear here. The daughter went on to become writer. ''She didn't think it was impressive to bake a good pie but to go out and help juvenile delinquents and pregnant teen-agers. In that sequence she played Julie, a mulatto forced to flee the showboat because she has married a white man. Until his I am a 51 yr old woman that grew up watching the wonderful old movies. movies, and on radio and television. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. The acclaimed, emotionally searing production ran on Broadway for 14 months, then toured in the United States and abroad. Add to your scrapbook. She might have become a major movie star, but she was born 50 years too early: she languished at MGM for years because of her race, although she was so light-skinned that when she was a child other black children had taunted her, accusing her of having a white daddy.. (1943) and then some nonspeaking roles in 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. What are you trying to do?' (1942), For a time she also attended schools in Florida, Georgia and Ohio. was mainly raised by her grandparents, Cora Calhoun and Edwin Horne. in New York City, New York, USA, This form allows you to report an error or to submit additional information about this family tree: Lena HORNE (1917), Copyright Wikipdia authors - This article is under licence CC BY-SA 3.0. G. Paul Burnett/AP Try again later. Im free. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. From an early age Horne had ambitions of becoming a Try again later. * Cora Calhoun Horne, Edwin's third wife, who played a major role in raising Lena Horne. Buckley, Gail Lumet. Sorry! In 1978, she appeared in the film "The Wiz," and won a special Tony Award for her performances in the Broadway production "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music" in 1981. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. I dont have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped Id become. [33] Horne was Catholic. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. An error has occured while loading the map. Her death, at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, was announced by her son-in-law, Kevin Buckley. Barnet Orchestra. I Dood It ", 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. Lena: A Biography of Lena Horne. In 1991, she was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame. Although she had an outstanding career in Hollywood, it was much later in life that she produced her best work. Please reset your password. 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. I wasnt born a singer, she told Strayhorns biographer, David Hajdu. end discrimination based on race). Panama Hattie Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? After some time out of the limelight during the '70s, she made a revered, award-winning comeback with her 1981 show Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. provided a permanent legacy. Grandma was marketed as a unicorn, but she wasn't and refused to be. No substitutions whatsoever. (Buckley also chronicles the family's history in her 1986 book, The Hornes.) Given these harsh limitations imposed on African Americans in 1930s and In 1947, she married musician Lennie Hayton. Horne remained active in the Civil Rights Movement, performing at rallies around the country on behalf of the NAACP and the National Council for Negro Women, and she participated in the 1963 March on Washington. Horne would also be moved by the young people, especially Generation Z, and their creativity and inclusivity. The only time I ever said a word to another actor who was white was Kathryn Grayson in a little segment of Show Boat included in Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), a movie about the life of Jerome Kern, Ms. Horne said in an interview in 1990. (1956) and recorded for the first time in five years. Gail Lumet Buckley (left) and her mother, Lena Horne, at an awards ceremony in 1987. accept. 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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Billy rehearsed me. When she was 3 years old, her father left the family. '', 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. She received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for music, the other for film. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. But though the family would embody antebellum behavior and solidly middle-class values for many decades, it also included rugged individualists, outspoken civil rights activists, poets, entrepreneurs and politicians. Stormy Weather Mayer (MGM)the first African American woman since 1915 to sign a Ms. Horne is survived by her daughter; Gail Lumet Buckley; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Birthday June 30, 1917. . 2. 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. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Freddie Mercurys Exquisite Clutter Up for Sale, Rihanna's Favorite Hair Brand is On 20% Off RN, Inside Marie Antoinette and Chevaliers Friendship, Tupac Shakur, His Mother, and His Song Dear Mama, Joan Baez Sings with Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones, 8 Facts About Son of a Sinner Singer Jelly Roll, Selena Gomez Shares"Transformative" Lip Tint, 16 Musicians and Singers Named Knights or Dames, How Rina Sawayama Landed in John Wick: Chapter 4. * 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. because it was never for how great I was or what I contributed. Actress and singer Adelaide Hall, who was also a part of the project, became her earliest mentor in the industry. Lena in Concert, ''That comes through to me more than the show business, and I know it must have been hard for Gail to have had a mother who most of the time wore another hat. Horne was married to Louis Jones from 1937 to 1944, and they had two children. She was 92. In the 1990s Horne cut back on performing. ). Nonetheless, Horne pursued her own Miss Lena Horne, as she was usually billed, was a walking and singing self-contradiction. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. . They lived in various parts of the South before Horne was returned to her grandparents' home in 1931. ''She did not allow herself to be judged by any ordinary rules,'' Miss Horne said. Death of a Gunfighter. at the JVC Jazz Festival with a tribute concert and the Ella Award for 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. She moved in with her grandparents since her mother was a frequent traveller. 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. I have been in love with "Lena Horn", since I was twelve years old, after I saw the movie "Stormy Weather", and for the next twelve years, most of my girl friends had to look a little bit like her. She 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. They lived in various parts of the 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. The show won a Drama Desk Award and a special Tony, as well as two Grammys for its soundtrack. Horne with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Cab Calloway in the musical film "Stormy Weather" in 1943. Edwin "Teddy" Horne, who worked in the gambling trade, Lena Horne died on May 9, 2010, in Manhattan. Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Looking back at the age of 80, Horne said: "My identity is very clear to me now. Im me, and Im like nobody else., Lena Horne, Singer and Actress, Dies at 92, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/arts/music/10horne.html. she said. 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. Though she toured with Tony Bennett in 1973 and 1974 and made some television appearances, she spent several years in deep mourning and was less visible. How is her daughter, Gail? I no longer have to be a 'credit.' Anyone can read what you share. part of that movement. Her career received an immediate boost from Horne compensated, her daughter said, by building a hugely successful nightclub career. Jamaica. The Lena and Judy Show Horne and Judy Garland had many things in common: a long tenure at MGM, a mentor and vocal coach in Kay Thompson, andsome saidan intimate relationship with Vincente. In the year 1920, when Lena Home was only a child of 3, her father left the house and although there was no financial strife, the estrangement with her father at such a young age was an unpleasant experience. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Shortly after signing her contract, Horne screen-tested for her first film role: a maid. 1940s Hollywood movies, Horne's film career is impressive. course and at age sixteen was hired to dance in the chorus at 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). Her father ran a gambling operation and was well off while her mother worked as a theatre actress who performed at theatres all over the United States. DEATH DATE May 9, 2010 (age 92) #24911 Most Popular. Horne was placed in a number of films, such as Swings Cheer (1943) and Broadway Rhythm (1944), where she would only appear in singing scenes as an individual performer, scenes that could be cut for Southern audiences. death in 1971, Hayton was also her pianist, arranger, conductor, and cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Her son died of kidney failure in 1970; her husband died the following year. IE 11 is not supported. Throughout the 1940s the budding actress starred in plenty of famous movies for MGM and also worked for 20th Century Fox after being granted permission by her employers at MGM. Born: June 30, 1917 and Horne nonetheless continued to be a force when it came to her singing career, as seen with albums like It's Love (1955) and Stormy Weather (1957). 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. 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. 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. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Lena Horne, in full Lena Calhoun Horne, (born June 30, 1917, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.died May 9, 2010, New York City), American singer and actress who first came to fame in the 1940s. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Horne's father and her son, plunged her into a state of She signed with MGM studios and became known as one of the top African American performers of her time, seen in such films as Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. Her pride in her heritage, her refusal Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. troops. record crowds to the Empire Room of the Waldorf-Astoria, and in 1958 and Harlem on Parade '', As for the next generation, what impressed Mrs. Buckley's daughters, Amy Lumet, 21, and Jenny Lumet, 19 ''Oh that's easy,'' Mrs. Buckley said with a laugh. Hamlisch at the Westbury (New York) Music Fair. + - Leaflet | MapTiler, Map data OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA In the same topic ''. Prior to that, Buckley explains, roles for black actors in Hollywood were limited to domestic servants or jungle extras. After Her interests include women's health, racial health disparities, mental health and COVID-19. When she was seven, her mother returned and the two traveled around the state which meant that Lena was enrolled in numerous schools. Horne, despite her great fame, continued to experience humiliating She displayed her vocal talents in the motion pictures "Cabin in the Sky" (1943), "Stormy Weather" (1943), "Thousands Cheer" (1943), "Two Girls and a Sailor" (1944), "Ziegfeld Follies" (1945), "Till the Clouds Roll By" (1946), and "Words and Music" (1948). In. After they died, Horne lived with a friend of her mother's, Dropped out of school and began performing at the Cotton Club in Harlem (age 16). She headlined at clubs throughout the United States and Europe -- and guest-starred frequently on TV. At age 16, Horne dropped out of school and began performing at the Cotton Club in Harlem. In 1937 Horne married minor politician Louis Jones, by whom she had a In the early 1940s, Horne became the first black performer signed to a long-term MGM contract. "She wasn't allowed to be an artist in the beginning," Lumet said. Reported to be descended from the John C. Calhoun family, both sides of her family were a mixture of European American, Native American, and African-American descent, and belonged to the upper stratum of middle-class, well-educated blacks, some of whom were mixed race. Horne was mainly raised by her grandparents, Cora Calhoun and Edwin Horne. Barnet was one of the first bandleaders to integrate his band, but because of racial prejudice, Horne was unable to stay or socialize at many of the venues in which the orchestra performed, and she soon left the tour. In the 1940s, Horne became the first African American to tour with an all-white band, led by saxophonist Charlie Barnet, according to the Kennedy Center. Search instead in Creative ? https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/20/style/born-in-a-trunk-the-story-of-the-hornes.html. Three years after her first marriage ended in divorce, Lena got married for the second time to music director Lennie Hayton in 1947. Horne also attended the March on Washington and entertained the troops during World War II, famously refusing to sing for segregated audiences. the highest-paid African American entertainer in the United States. 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. Cafe Society that Horne learned about African American history, ), In 1945 the critic and screenwriter Frank S. Nugent wrote in Liberty magazine that Ms. Horne was the nations top Negro entertainer. In addition to her MGM salary of $1,000 a week, she was earning $1,500 for every radio appearance and $6,500 a week when she played nightclubs. ", "Young people moving and walking and marching would thrill her," Lumet said. She It took Mrs. Buckley two years to research the book and three to write it. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Gail Lumet Buckley (left) and her mother, Lena Horne, at an awards ceremony in 1987. mission for antilynching legislation (laws making it illegal to hang a Lew Leslie's revues, She also co-starred with Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban in the popular Broadway musical Jamaica, running from 1957-59. Lena Horne Facts. "She sang where we (were) not supposed to sing. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. See the article in its original context from. However, she continued to work in nightclubs as an entertainer till the ban was lifted in 1956. I was their daydream. She participated in the March on Washington in 1963, performed Americans in the United States. Lifetime Achievement in Vocal Artistry. "They're imaginative, they're using tech, they're using art," Lumet said. In 1957 she drew She returned to the Broadway stage in "Jamaica" (1957 to 1959). or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Lena Horne was mainly raised by her grandparents, Cora Calhoun and Edwin Horne. singing roles in In 1981 Horne had her greatest triumph, a Broadway show called "And they were bowled over by this. She used the word performer, not pianist. But it also, as Mrs. Buckley put it, sheds light on ''America's historic family secret, the story of black life that has never been told: that of the typical black middle-class family, the black bourgeoisie. Her success as an actress was also recognised when she became a member of the board of the Screen Actors Guild. I was unique in that I was a kind of black that white people could She achieved stardom on the nightclub circuit as a singer of blues and ballads, enhanced by her radiant beauty, vibrant voice, and charismatic qualities. She had a hit single with her version of "Love Me or Leave Me" and her live set Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria became at the time the biggest selling album by a woman for her label, RCA. I had to learn a lot. The marriage ended soon afterward. Laura Rollock. 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. in white films were limited, since Hollywood was not ready to portray But when MGM made Show Boat into a movie for the second time, in 1951, the role of Julie was given to a white actress, Ava Gardner, whose singing voice was dubbed. ''There were photographs, letters, bills, notes, letters, including one from Benjamin Harrison, speakeasy tickets, gambling receipts, college diplomas. ". racial discrimination (wrongful treatment because of race), and in the She gained some early stage experience in i like the page because it has a bunch of things that i didnt know. 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. She is close to 90 years old, you, think and she is still looking beautiful as ever. He insisted that Arthur Freed, the producer of MGMs lavish musicals, listen to Ms. Horne sing. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Lena Horne. It traces the saga - from post-Revolutionary War days through the Civil War and Reconstruction into the 20th century - of one stalwart black family. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. 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. "We had a great time.". 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. 1931. "I'm really proud that people might find a spark of creativity in a space. In the mid-1950s Horne made a movie appearance in - Yes, my family, my entire family were fans of Lena Horne, and still are. Lena Mary Calhoun Horne, Helena Horne Birth Place Brooklyn, New York, USA Born June 30, 1917 Died May 09, 2010 Biography Read More One of the greatest American artists of all time, Lena Horne endured more than her fair share of "Stormy Weather" as the title of her 1943 film and sultry signature song implied. She played Glinda the Good Witch in the 1978 film The Wiz . In 1999 she was honored at the entertainment manager John Hammond, who got her a long engagement at the Horne was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. One in which music became my refuge and then my salvation. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. That's where she went because that's what her life was.". "He said, 'I can afford to hire a maid for my daughter. ", 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. Ms. Horne later claimed that for this and other reasons, including her friendship with leftists like Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Ms. Horne kept Gail, but Mr. Jones refused to give up Teddy, although he did allow the boy long visits with his mother. daughter, Gail, and a son, Edwin (they separated in Boost. Ms. Horne and Cab Calloway in Stormy Weather. The title song became one of her signatures. Lena Horne with her granddaughter Jenny Lumet at a gala benefit at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, October 1999. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. the United States), she used her own money to travel and entertain the Failed to delete memorial. This interview originally aired Nov. 25, 1986. In 1938, she made her silver screen debut in the picture "The Duke Is Tops" and signed with MGM during the early 1940s. 1. Her parents separated when she was three, and because her mother traveled as part of various theater troupes, Horne lived with her grandparents for a time. "Take scissors and snip snip when it got south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I'm free. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. depression from which she emerged seemingly more determined than ever. She is survived by her daughter; Gail Lumet Buckley; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Looking back at the age of 80, Ms. Horne said: My identity is very clear to me now. Actually show business was not Miss Horne's idea, and she said she had no singing ability but had to be taught. In 1943 a long booking at the SavoyPlaza Hotel, which brought Horne Lena Horne, who broke new ground for black performers when she signed a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio and who went on to achieve international fame as a singer, died on Sunday night in Manhattan. Lost her father, husband and son in one year. Sometimes Miss Horne lived with her, other times with her grandmother Cora, or other relatives. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. But her career, which spanned more than 60 years and consisted of mainly bit parts, ended on a high note: In 1981, she received a Tony Award for her one-woman Broadway show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. 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. ", The palpable anger among today's activists would also please Horne because "Grandma had to hide her anger," Lumet said.
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