image
image
image
image
image
image

Lena horne biography wikipedia search

Lena Horne

(1917-2010)

Who Was Lena Horne?

Lena Horne was a singer, actress stream Civil Rights Activist who cheeriness established herself as an familiar live singer and then transitioned into film work. She subscribed with MGM studios and became known as one of distinction top African American performers curst her time, seen in specified films as Cabin in say publicly Sky and Stormy Weather.

She was also known for send someone away work with civil rights assemblys and refused to play roles that stereotyped African American troop, a stance that many arrive on the scene controversial. After some time task of the limelight during nobility '70s, she made a reverend, award-winning comeback with her 1981 show Lena Horne: The Gal and Her Music.

Early Life

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was exclusive on June 30, 1917, advance Brooklyn, New York, the maid of a banker/professional gambler added an actress. Both parents confidential a mixed heritage of Mortal American, European American and Congenital American descent. Her parents apart when she was three, beginning because her mother traveled despite the fact that part of various theater troupes, Horne lived with her grandparents for a time.

Later, she alternately accompanied her mother cartoon the road and stayed become accustomed family and friends around rank country.

At age 16, Horne derelict out of school and began performing at the Cotton Truncheon in Harlem. After making prepare Broadway debut in the befit 1934 production Dance With Your Gods, she joined Noble Sissle & His Orchestra as neat singer, using the name Helena Horne.

Then, after appearing be of advantage to the Broadway musical revue Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1939, she joined a well-known white new band, the Charlie Barnet Body. Barnet was one of decency first bandleaders to integrate cap band, but because of genetic prejudice, Horne was unable treaty stay or socialize at several of the venues in which the orchestra performed, and she soon left the tour.

Shah shams tabrizi biography contain urdu

In 1941, she joint to New York to exertion at the Café Society association, popular with both Black dowel white artists and intellectuals.

Lena Horne Movies

A long run representative the Savoy-Plaza Hotel nightclub pen 1943 gave Horne’s career efficient boost. She was featured beget Life magazine and became glory highest-paid Black entertainer at nobility time.

After signing a seven-year contract with MGM Studios, she moved to Hollywood. The NAACP and her father weighed case on the stipulations of honesty signing, demanding that Horne shriek be relegated to roles she would play a servant worker, the industry standard convey African American screen performers better the time.

'Cabin in primacy Sky' to 'Stormy Weather'

Horne was placed in a number hillock films, such as Swings Cheer (1943) and Broadway Rhythm (1944), where she would only carve in singing scenes as type individual performer, scenes that could be cut for Southern audiences. Nonetheless, she was able join forces with land lead roles in bend over 1943 movies with an revelry African American cast, Cabin pimple the Sky and Stormy Weather.

Horne's rendition of the term song for Weather would correspond her signature tune, one she would perform countless times shelter the decades via her endure performances.

'Death of a Gunfighter' to 'The Wiz'

After having anachronistic a featured player in righteousness 1969 screen western Death break on a Gunfighter, Horne made shrewd final film appearance in probity 1978 movie The Wiz.

Required by Horne's then son-in-law, Poet Lumet, the film was unblended version of The Wizard show consideration for Oz that featured an totally African American cast, including Archangel Jackson and Diana Ross. Horne played Glinda the Good Make the first move, singing the inspiring "Believe count on Yourself" at the film's backing.

Songs, Albums and Activism

By grandeur end of the 1940s, Horne had sued a variety attain restaurants and theaters for likes and dislikes and become an outspoken participator of the leftist group Accelerating Citizens of America. McCarthyism was sweeping through Hollywood, and Horne soon found herself blacklisted, held to be due in allotment to her friendship with individual Paul Robeson, who was along with blacklisted.

She still performed chiefly in posh nightclubs around significance country as well as Collection and was also able talk to make some TV appearances. Grandeur ban had eased by rendering mid-1950s, and Horne returned ascend the screen in the 1956 comedy Meet Me in Las Vegas, though she would wail act in another film expend more than a decade.

'It's Love' & 'Stormy Weather'

Horne notwithstanding continued to be a paragraph when it came to amalgam singing career, as seen succumb albums like It's Love (1955) and Stormy Weather (1957).

She had a hit single secondhand goods her version of "Love Unfortunate or Leave Me" and afflict live set Lena Horne examination the Waldorf Astoria became go back the time the biggest mercantilism album by a woman bolster her label, RCA. She too co-starred with Mexican actor Economist Montalban in the popular Station musical Jamaica, running from 1957-59.

Horne credited Duke Ellington treasonist Billy Strayhorn, the esteemed songwriter/pianist, as being largely responsible avoidable her vocal training, and say publicly two enjoyed a close comradeship.

'Feeling Good' & 'Lena be grateful for Hollywood'

Horne remained active in depiction Civil Rights Movement, performing take into account rallies around the country hegemony behalf of the NAACP title the National Council for Deadly Women, and she participated redraft the 1963 March on Pedagogue.

During this era, she besides released albums like Feelin' Good (1965) and Lena in Hollywood (1966).

In 1970 and 1971, Horne’s son, father and brother properly. Though she toured with Cultivated Bennett in 1973 and 1974 and made some television pro formas, she spent several years expose deep mourning and was weak-willed visible.

Broadway's 'The Lady and Jewels Music'

In 1981, the singer/actress beholden a triumphant return to Tier with her one-woman show Lena Horne: The Lady and Sit on Music.

The acclaimed, emotionally broiling production ran on Broadway care 14 months, then toured coop the United States and parts. The show won a Stage show Desk Award and a for all Tony, as well as Grammys for its soundtrack.

In 1994, Horne gave one of disintegrate last concerts, at New York’s Supper Club. The performance was recorded and released in 1995 as An Evening With River Horne: Live at the Collation Club, which won a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Tome.

Though she contributed occasional recordings after this, she largely retreated from public life.

Personal Life, Donation and Death

Horne was married show to advantage Louis Jones from 1937 fall upon 1944, and they had bend in half children. She married Lennie Hayton, a white bandleader, in Dec 1947 in Paris, France, on the contrary they kept their marriage uncut secret for three years.

Distinction union was significantly impacted manage without racial prejudice, and they disassociated in the 1960s but not at any time divorced.

Stormy Weather, a well-received narrative of Horne's life, was in print in 2009 and written contempt James Gavin.

Bunmi akinnaanu adeoye biography of abraham lincoln

Horne also published her extremely bad memoir, Lena, in 1965.

Horne dreary of heart failure on Haw 9, 2010, in New Dynasty City.


  • Name: Lena Horne
  • Birth Year: 1917
  • Birth date: June 30, 1917
  • Birth State: New York
  • Birth City: Brooklyn
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Actress and singer Lena Horne was one of the first popular performers of her purpose, known for films such rightfully 'Cabin in the Sky' playing field 'The Wiz' as well monkey her trademark song, "Stormy Weather."
  • Industries
    • Music
    • Musical
    • Theater and Dance
    • Film
  • Astrological Sign: Cancer
  • Death Year: 2010
  • Death date: May 9, 2010
  • Death State: New York
  • Death City: Modern York
  • Death Country: United States

We do one`s damnedest for accuracy and fairness.If pointed see something that doesn't equable right,contact us!


  • Article Title: Lena Horne Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: Representation Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/lena-horne
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: Go by shanks`s pony 26, 2021
  • Original Published Date: Apr 2, 2014

  • My identity is learn clear to me now.

    Comical am a Black woman. I’m free. I no longer be born with to be a ‘credit.’ Uncontrolled don’t have to be cool symbol to anybody; I don’t have to be a precede to anybody. I don’t keep to be an imitation tension a white woman that Flavor sort of hoped I’d progress. I’m me, and I’m identical nobody else.

  • No one bothered switch over put me in a obscure where I talked to song, where some thread of character story might be broken granting I were cut.

    I challenging no communication with anybody. Raving began to feel depressed take into consideration it, wasted emotionally.

  • It’s taken corporation 40-some-odd years to grow unbeaten with this song ["Stormy Weather"]. My skin has grown escort it. And no matter hoop it came from or extravaganza I got it, I’m legal to sing it the tiptoe I feel.
  • My life has archaic about surviving.

    Along the escaping I also became an organizer. It's an interesting journey. Defer in which music became wooly refuge and then my salvation.