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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

89

Gender

Female

Birthday

1917-06-30

Day of Death

2010-05-09 (93 years old)

Place of Birth

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Also Known As

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne

Lena Horne

Biography

Lena Horne (June 30, 1917 - May 9, 2010) was a singer, dancer, actress, and civil rights activist. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the films Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. Due to the Red Scare and her left-leaning political views, Horne found herself blacklisted and unable to get work in Hollywood. Returning to her roots as a nightclub performer, Horne took part in the March on Washington in August 1963, and continued to work as a performer, both in nightclubs and on television, while releasing well-received record albums. She announced her retirement in March 1980, but the next year starred in a one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which ran for more than three hundred performances on Broadway and earned her numerous awards and accolades. She continued recording and performing sporadically into the 1990s, disappearing from the public eye in 2000. Horne died on May 9, 2010 in New York City. During her lifetime, Horne was awarded four Grammys, a Tony, and a NAACP Image Award . She also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1984.

Known For

Acting

The Wiz

1978

The Wiz

as

Glinda the Good

Ziegfeld Follies

1945

Ziegfeld Follies

as

Lena Horne (segment "Love")

Stormy Weather

1943

Stormy Weather

as

Selina Rogers

Thousands Cheer

1943

Thousands Cheer

as

Lena Horne

Till the Clouds Roll By

1946

Till the Clouds Roll By

as

Julie LaVerne / Lena Horne

Broadway Rhythm

1944

Broadway Rhythm

as

Fernway de la Fer

Two Girls and a Sailor

1944

Two Girls and a Sailor

as

Specialty

Death of a Gunfighter

1969

Death of a Gunfighter

as

Claire Quintana

The Duke Is Tops

1938

The Duke Is Tops

as

Ethel Andrews

That's Entertainment! III

1994

That's Entertainment! III

as

Self - Co-Host / Narrator

Cabin in the Sky

1943

Cabin in the Sky

as

Georgia Brown

Duchess of Idaho

1950

Duchess of Idaho

as

Lena Horne

Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days

2010

Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days

as

Self (uncredited) (archive footage)

Now!

1965

Now!

as

Self (voice)

I Dood It

1943

I Dood It

as

Herself

Swing Fever

1943

Swing Fever

as

Herself

Jazz Voice - The Ladies sing Jazz Vol.2

2006

Jazz Voice - The Ladies sing Jazz Vol.2

as

Self (archive footage)

Words and Music

1948

Words and Music

as

Lena Horne

You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story

1990

You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story

as

Self (archive footage)

That's Entertainment!

1974

That's Entertainment!

as

(archive footage)

The Harlem Renaissance

2004

The Harlem Renaissance

as

Self (archive footage)

Meet Me in Las Vegas

1956

Meet Me in Las Vegas

as

Lena Horne

Harlem Hotshots

1945

Harlem Hotshots

as

(archive footage)

Swingtime Jamboree

1946

Swingtime Jamboree

as

Herself

Judy Garland Duets

2005

Judy Garland Duets

as

Self (archive footage)

Studio Visit

1946

Studio Visit

as

Herself

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

2004

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

as

Self (archive footage)

Panama Hattie

1942

Panama Hattie

as

As self, Singer in Phil's Place (uncredited)

That's Entertainment, Part II

1976

That's Entertainment, Part II

as

(archive footage)

It's Black Entertainment

2002

It's Black Entertainment

as

Self (archive footage)

Sid & Judy

2019

Sid & Judy

as

Self (archive footage)

The Green Book: Guide to Freedom

2019

The Green Book: Guide to Freedom

as

Self - Singer (archive footage)

How It Feels to Be Free

2021

How It Feels to Be Free

as

Self (archival footage)

Storm in My Heart

2018

Storm in My Heart

as

Self (archive footage)

Sesame Street at Night?

1977

Sesame Street at Night?

as

Self (archive footage)

The Cosby Show

The Cosby Show

as

Lena Horne

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

as

Self (uncredited)

The Steve Allen Show

The Steve Allen Show

as

Self - Singer

Tony Awards

Tony Awards

as

Self - Recipient / Performer

The Muppet Show

The Muppet Show

as

Self - Special Guest Star / Lola Bramswell

Reading Rainbow

Reading Rainbow

as

Herself - Narrator (voice)

Tony Awards

Tony Awards

as

Self - Co-Hostess

Tony Awards

Tony Awards

as

Self - Presenter

Tony Awards

Tony Awards

as

Self - Host

Production

Crew

Directing