Quick Facts
Born:
1917-06-30
Birthplace:
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Credits:
92 Total Roles
Lena Horne
Acting
The MovieWise Take
Refining cinematic analysis...
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.
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
The Cosby Show
Lena Horne
The Muppet Show
Self - Special Guest Star / Lola Bramswell
The Wiz
Glinda the Good
Sanford and Son
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self (archive footage)
The Oscars
Self
A Different World
Self
Full Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | How It Feels to Be Free MOVIE | Self (archival footage) |
| 2019 | Sid & Judy MOVIE | Self (archive footage) |
| 2019 | The Green Book: Guide to Freedom MOVIE | Self - Singer (archive footage) |
| 2018 | Storm in My Heart MOVIE | Self (archive footage) |
| 2010 | Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days MOVIE | Self (uncredited) (archive footage) |
| 2006 | Jazz Voice - The Ladies sing Jazz Vol.2 MOVIE | Self (archive footage) |
| 2005 | Judy Garland Duets MOVIE | Self (archive footage) |
| 2005 | Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas MOVIE | Self |
| 2005 | An Evening With Lena Horne MOVIE | self |
| 2004 | The Incomparable Lena Horne MOVIE | Self |