March 11, 2022
Introduction: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about the history and delights of Hollywood Forever Cemetery – a special treat for genealogists and taphophiles. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
Genealogists know – and sometimes even love – cemeteries. They spend time studying headstones, looking for the final resting place of an ancestor, and documenting burials from generations ago. But some cemeteries are more famous than others. In some cases, there are cemeteries that garner crowds, tours, and special events that go beyond genealogical interest or the present-day needs of mourners.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is one of these. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the only cemetery in Hollywood, California, and it’s well-known for a few reasons – but the main reason is the famous people buried there.
Hollywood Forever: A Brief History
The Hollywood Cemetery Association, led by F. W. Samuelson, was incorporated in 1897.
Samuelson established the cemetery in 1899 at its current location. Originally known as the Hollywood Cemetery, it included one hundred acres that were purchased from Mary Croswell Grower. In 1929, as the motion picture industry moved to the area, the cemetery sold half its unused land to Peralta Studios. That land was later sold to Paramount Pictures.*
The beauty of the cemetery is found both inside – with its stunning mausoleums and columbaria – and outside, with the lovely grounds.
The statutory is also beautiful, as are the roaming peacocks (yes, peacocks) that help provide a setting that is unlike any other cemetery. That the cemetery be a beautiful place unlike other historical cemeteries was a concern even in the early days, as this 1905 newspaper article explained.
This article reported:
“At the inception of its plans for a cemetery, it was the design of the Hollywood Cemetery Association to create a beautiful memorial park and make it one of the most modern and beautiful places of its kind to be found in this part of the world. The lawn method and the system of perpetual care were adopted with the result that, in its growth and with the progress of its improvements, it is to be one of the most modern cemeteries in the United States…
“The friends of the late Mrs. Eliza A. Otis have made arrangements with the Hollywood Cemetery Association to place in the tower at the east entrance a set of the famous Vanduzen Memorial Chimes as a loving tribute to her beauty of mind and heart. This set, which is one of the most perfect and costly in America, comprises twelve bells of an aggregate weight of 8,135 pounds. The chimes when placed can be heard many miles away.”
It Is Hollywood, after All
Hollywood Forever is a functioning cemetery. However, it is open to visitors for tours with a cemetery map or as part of a group led by a guide. And with the number of celebrities buried there and the history of the cemetery, it’s probably no surprise that Paramount Pictures’ water tower can be seen from the cemetery.
What other “Hollywood” things can you do at the cemetery? Well, you can see a movie, or attend a concert or author event at the cemetery’s Masonic Lodge.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery hosts a day-long Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) event every October. Check the cemetery’s website for their upcoming events.
And yes, Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a filming location for movies and TV shows. (Love NCIS? You can catch a view of the cemetery at the end of Season 2, episode 4, “Lt. Jane Doe.”) You can see a list of shows and movies that have used the cemetery as a filming location on the IMDb website.
You probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that when I was recently visiting the cemetery, they were setting up to shoot a scene for a movie.
Celebrities at Rest
Whose burial place might you see on a tour of Hollywood Forever Cemetery? A short list of the famous who call Hollywood Forever their final resting place includes:
- Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny)
- Judy Garland
- Estelle Getty
- Valerie Harper
- Tyrone Power
- Burt Reynolds
- Dee Ramone (The Ramones)
- Joey Ramone (The Ramones)
- Bugsy Siegel
- Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer
- Rudolph Valentino
- Fay Wray
- Anton Yelchin
Some of the celebrity gravestones are ornate while others are plain. In some cases, they serve as a simple reminder of their life.
Not Everyone Is Famous in Hollywood
Yes, there are plenty of celebrity burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, but many more of the burials are people who were not famous when they were alive. This is a cemetery filled with history, but it’s also the history of the residents of Hollywood and nearby cities, famous or not.
Before You Go
Planning a trip to Hollywood? Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a great stop for genealogists and taphophiles. My suggestions for your visit are the following:
- You’ll need a map to find the more famous burials. Maps are for sale at the cemetery’s flower shop. (You can also buy a cemetery booklet that provides short bios of the celebrity burials.) The map is vital but I still found some burials difficult to find, so you may want to consider a tour. You can find paid tour options online.
- This is a large cemetery and it can get hot in Southern California, plus the cemetery can get busy, so you may need to park away from your area of interest. That means you may need to do a lot of walking, so bring plenty of water.
- This is a functioning cemetery, which means that some visitors are mourning their recently deceased loved one. While it is a tourist site, please be mindful of others.
- Families can pay a fee for the cemetery to be closed for a funeral service. You may want to call ahead of your visit, just in case.
- It’s possible you won’t see all the celebrities on your preferred list. When we were there the mausoleum that includes Rudolph Valentino’s burial was closed and I never found the burial place for Ernest Hemenway’s 2nd wife, Pauline Pfeiffer Hemingway. However, many of these gravestone photos can be found online.
* “Hollywood Forever. The Official Walking Guide, 4th Edition,” page 3.
Note: An online collection of newspapers, such as GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives, is not only a great way to learn about the lives of your ancestors – the old newspaper articles also help you understand American history and the times your ancestors lived in, and the news they talked about and read in their local papers, as well as interesting places to go and see. Have you ever been to Hollywood Forever Cemetery? Please share your stories with us in the comments section.
