Lena Horne
Date of birth: 1917-06-30
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Lena Mary Calhoun 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.
Movie Credits
The Wiz
1978-10-24
Dorothy Gale, a shy kindergarten teacher, is swept away to the magic land of Oz where she embarks on
Ziegfeld Follies
1945-08-26
The late, great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld looks down from heaven and ordains a new revue in his gr
Stormy Weather
1943-07-21
The relationship between an aspiring dancer and a popular songstress provides a retrospective of the
Thousands Cheer
1943-09-13
Acrobat Eddie Marsh is in the army now. His first act is to become friendly with Kathryn Jones, the
Till the Clouds Roll By
1946-12-05
Light bio-pic of American Broadway pioneer Jerome Kern, featuring renditions of the famous songs fro
Sesame Street: Learning About Letters
1986-05-12
With the help of his Sesame Street friends, Big Bird leads Snuffy on a fun-filled trip through the a
Broadway Rhythm
1944-01-19
Broadway producer Johnny Demming is only interested in big-name talent and scoffs that his sister, f
Two Girls and a Sailor
1944-06-14
A sailor helps two sisters start up a service canteen. The sailor soon becomes taken with gorgeous s
Death of a Gunfighter
1969-05-08
In the turn-of-the century Texas town of Cottownwood Springs, marshal Frank Patch is an old-style la
Aretha Franklin: Duets
1993-05-09
A chance to hear admirers including Elton John, Gloria Estefan, Smokey Robinson, PM Dawn, Bonnie Rai
The Duke Is Tops
1938-07-15
A theatrical producer puts aside his own success to boost the career of a talented singer.
Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas
2005-01-01
Here's a perfect chance to compare and contrast a clutch of the greatest jazz divas in the history o
That's Entertainment! III
1994-07-01
Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929
Cabin in the Sky
1943-03-24
When compulsive gambler Little Joe Jackson dies in a drunken fight, he awakens in purgatory, where h
The Incomparable Lena Horne
2004-10-26
The life and career of one of America's leading cultural figures, told through video clips and rare
Duchess of Idaho
1950-07-14
Ellen Hallit is in love with her playboy boss, Douglas Morrison, but is too timid to do anything abo
Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days
2010-01-05
A look back at 40 years of Seasame Street.
Now!
1965-01-01
Using morgue photos, newsreel footage, and a recording by Lena Horne, Cuban filmmaker Santiago Alvar
I Dood It
1943-09-01
Constance Shaw, a Broadway dance star, and Joseph Rivington Reynolds, a keen fan of hers, marry afte
Swing Fever
1943-11-01
Comedy about a bandleader with hypnotic powers.
Jazz Voice - The Ladies sing Jazz Vol.2
2006-12-06
Mantan Messes Up
1946-01-01
Mantan takes a job as office boy at a new TV station and gets to watch several pre-recorded musical
Words and Music
1948-12-31
Encomium to Larry Hart (1895-1943), seen through the fictive eyes of his song-writing partner, Richa
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
1990-07-23
Biographical portrait of one of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters. Told through the use of archi
An Evening With Lena Horne
2005-01-01
Two nights after the September 16 & 17th Carnegie Hall Blue Note performances, Lena performed the sa
Honor Coles, Le Danseur De Claquettes Distingue
Documentary about Charles "Honi" Coles, an American actor and tap dancer.
That's Entertainment!
1974-06-21
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year hi
Night of 100 Stars II
1985-03-10
This special is the second "Night of 100 Stars" to benefit The Actors Fund of America. Edited from a
The Harlem Renaissance
2004-01-01
Chronicling the Harlem Renaissance era, this retrospective documentary tracks the origins of the sou
Meet Me in Las Vegas
1956-03-09
Chuck Rodwell is a gambling cowboy who discovers that he's lucky at the roulette wheel if he holds h
Harlem Hotshots
1945-06-01
A musical short.
Swingtime Jamboree
1946-01-01
Compilation film of various African-American performers and acts.
DTV: Golden Oldies
1984-09-01
Compilation of DTV music videos from on The Disney Channel, combining tunes from the 1940s through t
Beyond the Riviera
1960-10-24
Travelogue exploring the coastline, towns and surrounding mountains of the French Riviera.
Judy Garland Duets
2005-06-04
Judy performs beloved musical numbers with Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, and more in this series
Studio Visit
1946-05-11
This humorous Pete Smith Specialty short looks around various studios on a film lot.
A.N.T.A. Album of 1955
1955-03-28
A closed-circuit television special produced to raise funds for the relief agency CARE telecast live
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004-01-01
Discover how television has reflected the African American experience in this retrospective of the m
Panama Hattie
1942-09-30
Sailors and spies mingle in between the acts at Hattie's nightclub in the Canal Zone.
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976-05-16
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time includi
Boogie-Woogie Dream
1944-01-01
After hours at a nightclub, the hired help have a jam session, which proves to be just what a couple
It's Black Entertainment
2002-02-08
A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Amer
Sid & Judy
2019-06-26
Explore the dramatic career and personal struggles of the talented and tragically short-lived entert
The Frank Sinatra Timex Show - To the Ladies
1960-02-15
Surrounded by a mix of talented ladies, host Frank Sinatra does his thing.
The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
2019-02-25
In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a
How It Feels to Be Free
2021-01-18
Tells the inspiring story of how six iconic African American female entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey
Storm in My Heart
2018-02-01
Despite the many curious similarities between Susan Hayward and Lena Horne-both were born in Brookly
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
1999-02-24
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand presents the life and achievements of an extraordinary man. Athlete, sing
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
1994-05-18
Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! was a 1994 TV special that aired on
Night of 100 Stars
1982-03-08
The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place
Sesame Street: A Celebration of Me, Grover
2004-08-31
He's furry, he's blue, and he's everyone's adorable, old pal, Grover, in his very own special! Come
Sesame Street at Night?
1977-03-01
Shalit is to host an adult 'look' at Sesame Street in a Festival '77 special for PBS. The 30-minute
The All-Star Christmas Show
1958-12-01
This 1958 Christmas spectacular was produced by the USO for the entertainment of troops stationed ov
Keep U.S. Beautiful
1973-03-27
A comedy variety special with an ecological twist.