Lena Horne

Actor · 1917–2010 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

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.

Acted in 32

2000s

2005
Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas
Movie
2004
The Incomparable Lena Horne
Movie
Sesame Street: A Celebration of Me, Grover
Movie

1980s

1984
The Cosby Show
Lena Horne · 1 episode
73
Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
Movie

1970s

1978
The Wiz
Glinda the Good
53
1976
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
1974
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage) (uncredited)
1972
Sanford and Son
TV · 6 Seasons · Comedy
78

1960s

1969
Death of a Gunfighter
Claire Quintana
67
1965
The Dean Martin Show
TV · 9 Seasons · Comedy
79
1961
Password
TV · 6 Seasons · Reality TV
75
1960
Beyond the Riviera
Movie

1950s

1958
Kraft Music Hall
TV · 13 Seasons
1957
The Twentieth Century
TV · 9 Seasons · Documentary
1956
The Perry Como Show
TV
Meet Me in Las Vegas
Lena Horne
1955
Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium
TV
1950
Duchess of Idaho
Lena Horne
Your Show of Shows
TV · 5 Seasons · Comedy

1940s

1948
Words and Music
Lena Horne
50
1946
Till the Clouds Roll By
Julie LaVerne / Lena Horne
72
Mantan Messes Up
Lene
1945
Ziegfeld Follies
Lena Horne (segment "Love")
1944
Two Girls and a Sailor
Lena Horne
Broadway Rhythm
Fernway de la Fer
Boogie-Woogie Dream
Movie
1943
Thousands Cheer
Lena Horne
Stormy Weather
Selina Rogers
Cabin in the Sky
Georgia Brown
72
1942
Panama Hattie
As self, Singer in Phil's Place (uncredited)

1930s

1938
The Duke Is Tops
Ethel Andrews

Sound 1

1960s

1965
Now!
Music

Appearances53

2020s

2024
Hollywood Black
Self (archive footage) · 4 episodes
2021
How It Feels to Be Free
Self (archival footage)

2010s

2019
Sid & Judy
Self (archive footage)
74
The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
Self - Singer (archive footage)
2010
Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days
Self (uncredited) (archive footage)

2000s

2006
Jazz Voice - The Ladies sing Jazz Vol.2
Self (archive footage)
2005
Judy Garland Duets
Self (archive footage)
An Evening With Lena Horne
self
2004
The Harlem Renaissance
Self (archive footage)
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
Self (archive footage)
2002
It's Black Entertainment
Self (archive footage)
2001
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
Self (archive footage)

1990s

1999
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
Self
1996
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self · 2 episodes
41
1995
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self (archive footage)
1994
That's Entertainment! III
Self - Host
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
Self (archive footage)
1993
Aretha Franklin: Duets
Self
1990
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
Self (archive footage)
Benny Carter: Symphony in Riffs
Self (archive footage)