Hollywood Forever Cemetery
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Hollywood Cemetery
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Entrance of Hollywood Forever
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| Location: |
6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California |
| Area: |
62 acres (25 ha) |
| Architect: |
multiple |
| Architectural style: |
Exotic Revival, Classical Revival, et al. |
| Governing body: |
Private |
| NRHP Reference#: |
99000550 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: |
May 14, 1999 |
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, adjacent to the north wall, or back, of Paramount Studios. Among those interred or entombed in the cemetery are a number of important personalities and famous persons, including men and women from the entertainment industry, and important people in the history of Los Angeles, and their relatives. The cemetery is active and regularly hosts community events, including music events and summer movie screenings.
History
The cemetery, the first in Hollywood,[2] was founded in 1899 on 100 acres (0.40 km2) as “Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery” by developer Isaac Lankershim and his son-in-law, Isaac Van Nuys.[3] The cemetery sold off large tracts to Paramount Studios, which, with RKO Studios, had bought 40 acres (160,000 m2) by 1920. Part of the land was set aside for the Beth Olam Cemetery, a dedicated Jewish burial ground, where people from Hollywood’s Jewish community are buried.
In 1939, Jules Roth, a convicted felon, bought the cemetery. He used the money from the cemetery's operations to pay for luxuries and let the cemetery fall into disrepair, also closing it to most racial minorities, e.g. forbidding actress Hattie McDaniel to be buried there. To settle tax bills, he sold some of the cemetery’s buildings along Santa Monica Boulevard, which became home to an auto-parts store and a laundromat.[4] He also sold the original entrance to strip malls, never repaired the roofs or earthquake damage to crypts and left the fund meant to take care of the cemetery till the end of time missing about $9 million, according to the current owner.[2] By 1997, Roth was bankrupt. He died on 4 January 1998.[4] The state of California had revoked the cemetery's license to sell its remaining plots.[5]
On the verge of closure in the bankruptcy proceeding, Tyler and Brent Cassity of a Missouri funeral home family purchased the now 62-acre (250,000 m2) property in 1998 for $375,000. They renamed it “Hollywood Forever” and started restoring, refurbishing and adding to it,[6] investing millions in revitalizing the grounds, offering documentaries about the deceased that are to be played in perpetuity on kiosks and are posted on the Web,[7] and organizing tours to draw visitors.[4]
Since 2002, films are screened at the cemetery at a gathering called Cinespia on weekends during the summer, drawing an average of 3,000 people who come with beach chairs, blankets, and food to view the films, which are projected onto the white marble wall of one of the mausoleums.[8]
Music events are taking place in the cemetery as well. On 12 June 2009, Scottish rock band Glasvegas played a special stripped down performance. On 14 and 15 June 2011, The Flaming Lips played at the cemetery in a two-night gig billed "Everyone You Know Someday Will Die," a lyric from their 2002 single "Do You Realize??"[9]
Lawsuit
In 2010, Tyler Cassity was involved in a lawsuit for fraud in which members of his family, including his brother were indicted of fraud that allegedly cost funeral consumers and funeral homes up $600 million.[10] The trial is expected to begin in 2012.[4]
Tours
Motion picture historian Karie Bible leads a walking tour through the cemetery. Bible is also the current "Lady In Black," carrying on the tradition of the mysterious woman who put a rose on Rudolph Valentino's grave every year.[11]
In popular culture
A documentary about the cemetery called The Young and the Dead, was made in 2000.[12]
The cemetery is briefly shown in the short Stopover in Hollywood.[13] The television series 90210 featured the cemetery in the episode "Hollywood Forever".
In one scene of the novel Expiration Date by Tim Powers, the main characters are evading the antagonists of the novel by hiding in Hollywood Forever Cemetery. At one point the main hero, Pete Sullivan, remarks that at the tomb of Bugsy Siegel that his late Hollywood producer father was friends with Siegel and many of the other celebrities interred at Hollywood Forever. To illustrate, Sullivan knocks the first few beats of "Shave-and-a-Haircut" on the door of Siegel's tomb, to receive a moment later the response "Two-Bits" knocked from the inside of the tomb.
A scene from the 2010 movie Valentine's Day took place in the cemetery. The movie shown in the cemetery was Hot Spell (1958).
Partial list of people buried
Use the following alphabetical links to find someone:
A
- David Abel (1883–1973), cinematographer
- Walter Ackerman (1881–1938), actor
- Bert Adams (1891–1940), Major League Baseball player
- Don Adams (1923–2005), actor/comedian
- Louis Adlon (1908–1947), actor
- Renée Adorée (1898–1933), actress
- Gilbert Adrian (1903–1959), costume designer
- Helen Ainsworth (1902–1961), actress/producer
- Frank Alexander (1879–1937), actor
- Lester Allen (1891–1949), actor
- Murray Alper (1904–1984), actor
- Sylvia Ashley (1904–1977), actress/socialite
- Agnes Ayres (1898–1940), actress
- A.E. Anson (1879–1936), actor
- Gertrude Astor (1877–1977), actress
- Charles Avery (1873–1926), actor
B
- Fred J. Balshofer (1877–1969), director/producer
- Leah Baird (1883–1971), actress
- William Beaudine (1892–1970), director
- Tony Beckley (1927–1980), actor
- Elmer Berger (1891–1952), inventor of the rear-view mirror
- Herman Bing (1889–1947), actor, voice of The Ringmaster in Disney's Dumbo
- Richard Blackwell (1922–2008), fashion critic
- Mel Blanc (1908–1989), actor/comedian and voice over talent. His tombstone has one of the most famous epitaphs, "That's all folks"
- El Brendel (1890–1964), actor/comedian
- Coral Browne (1913–1991), actress
- Edward Bunker (1933–2005), actor
C
- Lynn Cartwright (1927–2004), actress, wife of Leo Gordon
- Orlando Costa (1929–2006), Portuguese Minister
- Louis Calhern (1895–1956), actor
- Harry Chandler (1864–1944) publisher of the Los Angeles Times and investor
- Charles Chaplin Jr. (1925–1968), actor, son of Charlie Chaplin
- Hannah Chaplin (1865–1928), mother of Charlie Chaplin
- Chief Luther Standing Bear, Sioux Nation actor
- Al Christie (1881–1951), director/producer and screenwriter
- Charles Christie (1880–1955), movie studio owner
- Gertrude Claire (1852–1928), actress
- William Andrews Clark, Jr. (1877–1934), founder of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Lana Clarkson (1962–2003), actress
- Iron Eyes Cody (1907–1999), actor
- Harry Cohn (1891–1958), founder of Columbia Pictures
- Thomas F. Cooke, Los Angeles City Council member, 1929–31
- Alan Crosland (1894–1936), director
- Cornelius Cole (1822–1924), California Congressional Representative and U.S. Senator
- Douglas Glenn Colvin aka Dee Dee Ramone (1951–2002), Bassist in The Ramones
D
- Cass Daley (1915–1975), actress/comedienne
- Viola Dana (1897–1987), actress
- Karl Dane (1886–1934), actor/comedian
- Bebe Daniels (1901–1972), actress
- Joe Dassin (1938–1980), French/American singer-songwriter
- Marion Davies (1897–1961), actress[6]
- Cecil B. DeMille (1881–1959), director/producer[6]
- William C. DeMille (1878–1955), director/writer
- Molly Dodd (1921–1981), actress
- Richard Dunn (1936–2010), character actor[14]
E
F
- Douglas Fairbanks (1883–1939), actor
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (1909–2000), actor
- Julia Faye (1893–1966), actress
- Maude Fealy (1881–1971), actress
- Charles K. Feldman (1904–1968), agent/film producer
- Flora Finch (1869–1940), actress
- Peter Finch (1912–1976), actor
- Victor Fleming (1889–1949), director
- John Taintor Foote (1881–1950), writer
- Kathleen Freeman (1919–2001), actress
- Joe Frisco (1889–1958), actor/comedian
- Leo Fuchs (1911–1994), actor
G
- Ed Gardner (1901–1963), actor/comedian
- Janet Gaynor (1906–1984), actress
- Carmelita Geraghty (1901–1966), actress, wife of Carey Wilson
- Estelle Getty (1923–2008), actress
- Maury Gertsman (1907–1999), cinematographer
- Leo Gordon (1922–2000), actor, husband of Lynn Cartwright
- Griffith J. Griffith (1850–1919), park and observatory donor
- Gidget Gein (1969-2008), artist, bassist for the band Marilyn Manson
H
- George Hackathorne (1896–1940), actor
- Joan Hackett (1934–1983), actress
- Bianca Halstead (1965–2001), musician
- John Hamilton (1887–1958), actor
- Curtis Harrington (1926–2007), director
- Kenneth Harlan (1895–1967), actor
- George Harrison (1943–2001), musician, cremated here, his ashes were scattered in the Ganges River
- Mildred Harris (1901–1944), actress
- Jean Havez (1869–1925), song writer
- Wanda Hawley (1895–1963), actress
- Lillie Hayward (1891–1977), actress/screenwriter
- Pauline Pfeiffer Hemingway (1895–1951), wife of Ernest Hemingway
- Woody Herman (1913–1987), musician
- Benjamin Franklin Hilliker (1843–1916), Medal of Honor recipient
- Darla Hood (1931–1979), actress, played "Darla" in Our Gang
- David Horsley (1873–1933), built the first Hollywood movie studio
- Jean Howard (1910–2000), actress/photographer
- John Huston (1906–1987), director/screenwriter
J
K
L
- Don LaFontaine (1940–2008), voiceover
- Arthur Lake (1905–1987), actor
- Barbara La Marr (1896–1926), actress
- Jesse L. Lasky (1880–1958), pioneer, founded Famous Players-Lasky, which became Paramount Pictures
- Jesse Lasky, Jr. (1908–1988), screenwriter, son of Jesse Lasky
- Florence Lawrence (1886–1938), actress, known as "The First Movie Star"
- Henry Lehrman (1886–1946), director
- Edward LeSaint (1870–1940), actor
- Elmo Lincoln (1889–1952), actor
- Perry Lopez (1929–2008), actor
- Peter Lorre (1904–1964), actor
- Ben Lyon (1901–1979), actor
M
- Robert S. MacAlister, Los Angeles City Council member, 1934–39
- Jeanie MacPherson (1887–1946), actress, screenwriter
- Leo D. Maloney (1888–1929), pioneer actor/director and producer
- Jayne Mansfield (1933–1967), actress (she has a cenotaph; she is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania)
- Paul Marco (1925–2006), actor
- Tully Marshall (1864–1943), actor/producer and director
- Hattie McDaniel (1895–1952), actress, (She has a cenotaph; she is buried in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery; Hollywood Memorial Park cemetery did not permit burial of black people in 1952)
- Darren McGavin (1922–2006), actor
- Adolphe Menjou (1890–1963), actor
- Charles B. Middleton (1874–1949), actor
- Arthur Charles Miller (1895–1970), cinematographer
- Laura Spellman-Middleton (1890–1945), actress
- Robert Mitchell (1912–2009), organist
- Paul Muni (1895–1967), actor
N
O
P
Q
R
- Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Glenn Colvin) (1952–2002), musician and member of The Ramones
- Johnny Ramone (1948–2004), musician and member of The Ramones (his ashes were put into the pedestal of his statue)
- Virginia Rappe (1891–1921), actress, the woman Fatty Arbuckle was accused of killing during a wild party in San Francisco, creating one of Hollywood's first major scandals
- Marie Rappold (1879–1957), opera singer
- Tom Reddin (1916–2004), Los Angeles police chief (1964–1969)
- Rodd Redwing (1904–1971), Chickasaw actor
- George Regas (1890–1940), actor
- Pedro Regas (1897–1974), actor
- Nelson Riddle (1921–1985), musician/composer and band leader
- Al Ritz (1901–1965), actor/comedian
- Harry Ritz (1904–1985), actor/comedian
- Jimmy Ritz (1907–1986), actor/comedian
- Theodore Roberts (1861–1928), actor
- Harold Rosson (1895–1988), cinematographer
S
- Hans J. Salter (1896-1994), composer
- Tom Santschi (1880–1931), actor
- Ann Savage (1921–2008), actress
- Joseph Schildkraut (1896–1964), actor
- Leon Schlesinger (1884–1949), head of animation at Warner Bros.
- Herman Schopp (1899-1954), cinematographer
- Vito Scotti (1918–1996), actor
- Rolfe Sedan (1896–1982), actor
- Harry Semels (1887–1946), actor
- Peggy Shannon (1910–1941), actress
- Ann Sheridan (1915–1967), actress
- Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (1906–1947), gangster
- Ford Sterling (1883–1939), actor
- Yma Sumac (1922–2008), singer, actress
- Josef Swickard (1866–1940), actor
- Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (1927–1959), actor, played "Alfalfa" in Our Gang
- Harold Switzer (1925–1967), actor, older brother of "Alfalfa" in Our Gang
- Natasha Shneider (1956–2008), musician, actress
T
- Constance Talmadge (1897–1973), actress
- Natalie Talmadge (1899–1969), actress
- Norma Talmadge (1893–1957), actress
- Eva Tanguay (1879–1947), singer
- Estelle Taylor (1894–1958), actress
- William Desmond Taylor (1872–1922), movie director, murder victim (unsolved), crypt is marked with his birth name, William Deane Tanner
- Verree Teasdale (1906–1987), actress, wife of Adolphe Menjou
- Terry (1933-1945), dog actress, best known for playing Toto in the Wizard of Oz
- Charles E. Toberman (1880–1981), built the Roosevelt Hotel
- Gregg Toland (1904–1948), cinematographer
- Noel Toy (1918–2003), actress/dancer, wife of Carleton Young
U
V
W
- George D. Wallace (1917–2005), actor
- Jean Wallace (1923–1990), actress
- Steve Wayne (1920–2004), actor
- Clifton Webb (1889–1966), actor
- David White (1916–1990), actor
- Marjorie White (1904–1935), actress
- Hobart Johnstone Whitley (1847–1931), Named Hollywood while honeymooning with his wife; gravesite is marked "The Father Of Hollywood"
- Harvey Henderson Wilcox (1832–1891), founded the city of Hollywood
- Rozz Williams (1963–1998), founded the death rock band Christian Death
- Fay Wray (1907–2004), actress
Y
Z
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b Spindler, Amy M. (November 15, 1998). "Getting In". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/15/magazine/getting-in.html. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ Foliart, Lauren (September 1, 2011). "Cemetery Historian". Los Angeles Magazine. http://www.lamag.com/culture/la_archetype/Story.aspx?id=1514671. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
"Incorporated". Los Angeles Times. August 15, 1899. "The Hollywood Cemetery Association filed articles of incorporation yesterday."
- ^ a b c d Silverman, Jacob (September 22, 2011). "Burial Plots". Tablet Magazine. http://www.tabletmag.com/arts-and-culture/78893/burial-plots/?utm_source=Tablet+Magazine+List&utm_campaign=7e6116ba27-9_23_2011weekender&utm_medium=email. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ Purdum, Todd S. (December 11, 1997). "Los Angeles Journal; Cemetery to the Stars Wins a Court Reprieve". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/11/us/los-angeles-journal-cemetery-to-the-stars-wins-a-court-reprieve.html. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Cathcart, Rebecca (June 7, 2008). "Where Hollywood’s Stars Are Interred, but Live Forever on Screen". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/movies/07ceme.html?_r=1&ref=movies&oref=slogin. Retrieved June 7, 2008. "In 1998 Tyler Cassity, a friend of Mr. Boileau’s from St. Louis, bought the 62-acre (250,000 m2) property for $375,000 and began making renovations. Mr. Cassity’s family runs Forever Enterprises."
- ^ LeDuff, Charlie (December 1, 2002). "Comeback for Resting Place of Movie Stars". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/us/comeback-for-resting-place-of-movie-stars.html. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ Alzayat, Dima (August 12, 2011). "Cinespia celebrates age 10 by staying up all night". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/theguide/events-and-festivals/la-et-guidefeature-20110812,0,3441270.story. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ Martens, Todd (May 3, 2011). "Flaming Lips' Hollywood Forever Cemetery gigs go on sale Friday". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/05/flaming-lips-hollywood-forever-cemetary-gigs-to-go-sale-this-friday.html. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ "Press Releases, 2010, National Prearranged Services, Inc. Controlling Officials Indicted". FBI St. Louis, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri. November 22, 2010. http://stlouis.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/sl112210.htm. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ "Karie Bible". Hollywood Forever Cimetery Walking Tour. http://cemeterytour.com/pages/guide.php. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ Salamon, Julie (May 18, 2002). "Television Review; So You Missed the Funeral? Come See the Video Tribute". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/18/arts/television-review-so-you-missed-the-funeral-come-see-the-video-tribute.html. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ Stopover in Hollywood, Documentary at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ "Character Actor Richard Dunn Dies at 73". Associated Press (msnbc.com). 2010-06-24. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37519390/ns/today-entertainment/t/actor-richard-dunn-dies-age/. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
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- Category:National Register of Historic Places
- Portal:National Register of Historic Places
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