Lena Horne

By Jone Johnson Lewis, About.com Guide

Lena Horne 1941

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Lena Horne Facts:

Known for: both being limited by and transcending racial boundaries in the entertainment industry
Occupation: singer, actress
Dates: June 30, 1917 - May 9, 2010

Lena Horne Biography:

From Brooklyn, New York, Lena Horne was raised by her mother, an actress, and then by her grandmother, Cora Calhoun Horne, who took Lena to the NAACP, the Urban League and the Ethical Culture Society, all centers in that time of activism. Cora Calhoun Horne sent Lena to the Ethical Culture school in New York.

At age 16 Lena began working at Harlem's Cotton Club, first as a dancer, then in the chorus and later as a solo singer. She began singing with orchestras, and, while singing with Charlie Barnet's (white) orchestra, she was discovered. From there she began playing clubs in Greenwich Village and then performed at Carnegie Hall.

Beginning in 1942 Lena Horne appeared in films, broadening her career to include movies, Broadway and recordings. She has been honored with many awards for her lifetime of success.

Lena Horne was married to Louis J. Jones from 1937 to 1944; they had two children. Later she was married to Lennie Hayton from 1947 to his death in 1971.

Lena Horne's signature song, from a 1943 film of the same name, is "Stormy Weather."

Lena Horne published her memoirs in 1950 as In Person and in 1965 as Lena.