Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the
Forest Lawn chain of
Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the
Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the
Hollywood district of
Los Angeles,
California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the
Santa Monica Mountains range that overlooks
North Hollywood and
Burbank in the
San Fernando Valley from its southeast. The
Los Angeles River courses from west to east immediately to the north.
Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills is a park dedicated to the preservation of American history, and hosts high-profile events such as an annual Veterans Day ceremony attended by dignitaries and other VIPs.
Features
The park features such sights as:
Court of Liberty
The Court Of Liberty features statues of
George Washington and
Thomas Jefferson and the
Birth of Liberty mosaic. At long and high,
Birth of Liberty is the largest historical mosaic in the United States. It is composed of ten million pieces of Venetian glass and depicts twenty-five scenes from early America, from 1619-1787.
The Old North Church, a precise replica of Boston's historic church, from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride". The historical rooms have documents and mementos of the colonial period.
The Hall Of Liberty American History Museum has a copy of the Liberty Bell and other exhibits. The museum has a 1,200 seat auditorium.
Monument To Washington, a marble and bronze tribute to America's first president, created by sculptor Thomas Ball. Four of Washington's generals are honored in the memorial.
Lincoln Terrace
The Lincoln Terrace features a bronze statue of the 16th president by
Augustus St. Gaudens, flanked by a panoramic mosaic depicting key scenes from
Lincoln's life.
Plaza of Mesoamerican Heritage
replica in the plaza]]
The Plaza of Mesoamerican Heritage has sculptures by Meliton Salas Rodriguez, of Guadalajara, Mexico. Salas used hand tools to first quarry, then work the native Mexican stone into precisely scaled, detailed replicas of art works and artifacts that are representative of the Aztec, Huastec, Maya, Mixtec, Olmec, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Totonac and Zapotec civilizations that preceded modern Mexican culture. A smooth Olmecan head, an intricate Aztec sun calendar and a sinuous Teotihuacan bas relief are some of the sculptural features of the Plaza that are set off by crushed stone walkways and complemented by groupings of Mesoamerican plants. Nearby, the Museum of Mexican History offers free admission to visitors from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.
History
The first Forest Lawn, in
Glendale, was founded in 1906 by businessmen who hired Dr.
Hubert Eaton, a firm believer in a joyous life after death, who was convinced that most cemeteries were "unsightly, depressing stone yards," and pledged to create one that would reflect his optimistic beliefs, "as unlike other cemeteries as sunshine is unlike darkness." He envisioned Forest Lawn to be "a great park devoid of misshapen monuments and other signs of earthly death, but filled with towering trees, sweeping lawns, splashing fountains, beautiful statuary, and... memorial architecture"
Before it was a cemetery, Forest Lawn was a filming location used by directors such as Carl Laemmle and Cecil B. DeMille. The climactic battle scenes for D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation were filmed there. The alternate names of the filming site are Providencia Flats, Nestor Ranch, Oak Ranch, Oak Crest Ranch, Universal Ranch/Universal City, Lasky Ranch, and Paramount Ranch until November 1927.
List of notable people buried or entombed here
Interred or entombed in the Hollywood Hills cemetery are many famous people, particularly from the entertainment industry.
A
Harry Ackerman, television producer
Edie Adams, actress
Iris Adrian, actress
Philip Ahn, actor
Harry Akst, songwriter
Robert Aldrich, film director
Steve Allen, comedian, writer
Don Alvarado, actor, director
Leon Ames, actor
Morey Amsterdam, comedian
Carl David Anderson, Nobel Prize winning scientist
Ernie Anderson, television announcer
Mignon Anderson, actress
Lois Andrews, actress
Robert Arthur, film producer
Matthew Ansara, actor, bodybuilder
Gene Autry, singing cowboy actor, owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Patricia Avery, actress
Tex Avery, film animator
B
Art Babbitt, film animator
Lloyd Bacon, film director
Parley Baer, actor
David Bailey, actor
Buddy Baker, composer
Bonnie Lee Bakley, murdered wife of actor Robert Blake
John Ball, author
Lucille Ball actress
Harry Barris, singer
Don "Red" Barry, actor
Judith Barsi, actress
Clyde Beatty, circus owner
Noah Beery, Sr., actor
Noah Beery, Jr., actor
Ralph Bellamy, actor
Richard Benedict, actor, director
Spencer Gordon Bennet, film director
Lamont Bentley, actor
Mary Kay Bergman, actress
Fred "Rerun" Berry, actor
Gus Bivona, musician
Willie Bobo, musician
Tom Bosley, actor Happy Days
Delany Bramlett, musician
Mary Brian, actress
Pamela Britton, actress
Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, movie producer of the James Bond series
Joe Brooks, actor
Wally Brown, actor, comedian
Edgar Buchanan, actor
Mildred Burke, professional wrestler
Solomon Burke, singer
Bartine Burkett, actress
Everett G. Burkhalter, politician
Smiley Burnette, actor
Wally Byam, entrepreneur (memorial)
C
Godfrey Cambridge, actor and comedian
Roy Campanella, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer
Pete Candoli, musician
Stephen J. Cannell, Producer
David Carradine, actor
Robert Clarke, actor
Bill Cody, Jr., actor
Nudie Cohn, fashion designer
Dennis Cole, actor
Ray Collins, actor
William Conrad, actor
Bert Convy, television host
Tara Correa-McMullen, actress
Willie Crawford Major League Baseball player
Gary Crosby, actor and singer
Scatman Crothers, actor and musician
D
' tomb]]
Ken Darby, composer
Bette Davis, actress
Gail Davis, actress
Laraine Day, actress
Sandra Dee, actress
Frank Dekova, actor
Reginald Denny, actor
Gene de Paul, composer
Frank DeVol, composer
Ronnie James Dio, singer and songwriter
Theodore Dreiser, author and Progressive Era reformer
Don Drysdale, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer
Roy O. Disney, Co-Founder; The Walt Disney Company; brother of Walt Disney
Leo Durocher, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer
Jerry Dunphy
E
Anthony Eisley, actor
Josh Ryan Evans, actor
Michael Evans, actor
F
Richard Farnsworth, actor
Marty Feldman, actor and comedian
Robert Charles Francis, actor
Melvin Franklin, singer and member of The Temptations
Milton Frome, actor
Bobby Fuller, singer
G
Marvin Gaye, singer (cremated here; ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean)
Frankie Gaye, singer, brother of Marvin
Wally George, announcer
Andy Gibb, singer
Hugh Gibb, father of singers Barry, Robin, Maurice, and Andy
Peggy Gilbert, jazz musician
Haven Gillespie
H
Hard Boiled Haggerty, professional wrestler
Monte Hale, actor
Thomas F. Hamilton, founder of the Hamilton Standard propeller company
Ann Harding, actress
Gabby Hayes, actor
Neal Hefti, composer of TV's Batman and The Odd Couple
Horace Heidt, bandleader
Jean Speegle Howard, actress
I
Ub Iwerks, film animator
Rex Ingram, actor
Jill Ireland, actress
J
Thomas Edward Jackson (1885–1967), stage, motion picture, and television actor
Tony Jay, actor
Kelly Johnson (1910–1990), aviation engineer
K
Bob Kane, cartoonist, creator of Batman
Buster Keaton, actor and comedian
Lincoln Kilpatrick, actor
Ernie Kovacs, actor and comedian
Kay E. Kuter, actor
L
's memorial marker, with the
Birth of Liberty mosaic in background]]
Mildred Lager, health food pioneer in Los Angeles
Dorothy Lamour, actress
Fritz Lang, film director
Grace Lantz, voice of Woody Woodpecker
Walter Lantz, Creator of Woody Woodpecker
June Lang, actress
Nicolette Larson, singer
Charles Laughton, actor
Stan Laurel, actor and comedian
Arthur Lee, singer, songwriter, musician
Robert Edwin Lee, playwright and lyricist
Stan Levey, music producer
George Liberace, actor and musician, older brother of Liberace
Liberace, musician
Lionel "Curly" Lindon, cinematographer
Art Linkletter, radio and television personality
Diane Linkletter, daughter of Art Linkletter
Frederick Llewllelyn, President of Forest Lawn
Felix Locher, actor
Julie London, actress and singer
M
's grave covered with sequins, confetti, and other items left by fans]]
Kenneth MacDonald, actor
Harriet E. MacGibbon, actress
Junius Matthews, actor
Pat McCormick, comedian
Ed McMahon, television host
Brittany Murphy, actress
Simon Monjack, producer, screenwriter, husband of actress Brittany Murphy
Burt Mustin, actor
N
Harriet Nelson, actress
Ozzie Nelson, actor and bandleader
Ricky Nelson, actor and singer
Jack Nimitz, jazz saxophonist
O
Orry-Kelly, costume designer
Donald O'Connor, actor, singer and dancer
P
Nestor Paiva, actor
Joy Page, actress
Jean Parker, actress
Bill Peet, film animator
Brock Peters, actor
Freddie Perren, musician
Charles Pierce, actor and female-impersonator
Freddie Prinze, actor and comedian
Tony Pope, voice actor
Jeff Porcaro, musician
Q-R
's tomb]]
's grave]]
George Raft, actor
Amanda Randolph, actress
Lillian Randolph, actress
Lou Rawls, singer
Dorothy Revier, actress
John Ritter, actor
Joe E. Ross, actor
Dar Robinson, film stuntman
Kasey Rogers, actress
S
Sabu, actor
Jack Sahakian, hairdresser & actor
Isabel Sanford, actress
Telly Savalas, actor
Johnny Sekka, actor
Reta Shaw, actress
Clarice Sherry, actress
Phillips Smalley, director, actor
Jack Soo, actor
Olan Soule, actor
Rod Steiger, actor
McLean Stevenson, actor
Glenn Strange, actor
Victor Sutherland, actor
H.N. Swanson, Hollywood literary agent
T
Vic Tayback, actor
Jack Teagarden, musician
Frankie Thomas, actor
Martha Tilton, singer
André De Toth, film director
Helen Travolta (1912–1978), John and Ellen Travolta's mother
Bobby Troup, television actor, jazz pianist
Forrest Tucker, actor
U-V
Lee Van Cleef, actor
Katherine Victor, actress
Al Viola, musician
W
Jack Webb, actor
Frank Wells, Disney president
Claire Whitney, actress
Jess Willard, world heavyweight boxing champion
Bill Williams, actor
Sue Williams, actress and Playboy Playmate
Dick Wilson, actor
Marie Wilson, actress
Paul Winfield, actor
John Wooden, UCLA Bruins men's basketball coach
George Wright, humanitarian and Forest Lawn Executive Vice-President
X-Y
Ralph Yearsley, actor
Z
Paul Zastupnevich, costume designer
George Zucco, actor
See also
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
List of United States cemeteries
References
External links
Website of Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills
Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills Grave marker photos
Website Grave list
Forest Lawn Memorial Park at Find A Grave
Category:Cemeteries in Los Angeles, California
Category:Hollywood history and culture
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Category:San Fernando Valley