Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)

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Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery is located at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in Los Angeles, California, on the south edge of the San Fernando Valley by Burbank (and on the north side of the Santa Monica Mountains from Hollywood). It is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries.

The Forest Lawn Memorial Parks are recognized and serve as a cultural institution in the Los Angeles regional area. Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills is a park dedicated to the preservation of American history, and hosts high-profile events such as an annual Veteran's Day ceremony attended by dignitaries and VIPs. The park features such notable sights as:

The Court Of Liberty, which features statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and the Birth of Liberty Mosaic.

The Birth Of Liberty Mosaic, America's largest historical mosaic at 162 feet long and 28 feet high, contains more than ten million pieces of Venetian glass and depicts twenty-five famous scenes from early America, 1619-1787.

Old North Church, a precise replica of Boston's historic church, immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his famous poem Paul Revere's Ride. The historical rooms contain rare documents and mementos of the colonial period.

The Hall Of Liberty American History Museum features a precise duplication of the Liberty Bell, and other exhibits. The museum includes 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 also honored in the memorial.

The Lincoln Terrace features a lifelike 16-foot bronze statue of the 16th president by Augustus St. Gaudens, flanked by a panoramic mosaic depicting key scenes from Lincoln's eventful life.

The Plaza of Mexican Heritage features sculptures created by artist Meliton Salas Rodriguez, of Guadalajara, Mexico. Salas Rodriguez used only hand tools to first quarry, then work 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.

[edit] History

Forest Lawn (Glendale) was founded in 1917 by 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..."

Interred or entombed in the cemetery are many famous people and their relatives, particularly from the entertainment industry.

[edit] History Before 1917

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Early map of Burbank, California with Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills on the bottom left.

The Providencia Land and Water Development Company property was used as a location for some early motion pictures. In particular, it was used for the battle scenes in Birth of a Nation. In 1912 Carl Laemmle (IMP) Universal Pictures took over the assets of Nestor Studios and named this area Universal City. The photograph of this area can be seen in Los Angeles Library archives: "A Birds Eye View of Universal City":

[edit] Notable burials

(Note this is a partial list.)

Use the following alphabetical links to find someone.

Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

[edit] A

Steve Allen, comedian, writer
Robert Altman, filmmaker
Don Alvarado, actor, director
Morey Amsterdam, comedian
Carl David Anderson, Nobel-winning scientist
Robert Arthur, film producer
Gene Autry, singing cowboy actor, entrepreneur

[edit] B

Bonnie Lee Bakley, murdered wife of actor Robert Blake
Lucille Ball, actress, comedienne (ashes moved to Jamestown, NY in 2002)
Judith Barsi, child actress
Clyde Beatty, circus owner
Fred "Rerun" Berry, actor
Lamont Bentley, actor Moesha
Mary Brian, actress
Ralph Bellamy, actor
Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, movie producer of the James Bond series
Edgar Buchanan, actor

[edit] C

Godfrey Cambridge, comedian, actor
Roy Campanella, Hall of Fame baseball player
Bill Cody, Jr., actor
William Conrad, actor
Bert Convy, television host
Tara Correa-McMullen, actress
Willie Crawford Major League Baseball player
Gary Crosby, singer, actor
Scatman Crothers, actor, singer, dancer and musician
Edward S. Curtis, photographer of the American West

[edit] D

Bette Davis, actress
Gail Davis, actress
Sandra Dee, actress
Reginald Denny (actor), actor
Gene de Paul, composer
Frank DeVol, composer
Don Drysdale, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baseball Hall of Fame, Pitcher
Roy Disney, Co-Founder Walt Disney Company
Leo Durocher, Hall of Fame baseball player/manager

[edit] E

Anthony Eisley, actor

[edit] F

Richard Farnsworth, actor
Marty Feldman, British writer, comic, and actor
Robert Charles Francis, actor
Melvin Franklin, singer for The Temptations
Bobby Fuller, singer

[edit] G

Marvin Gaye, singer (He was cremated here.)
Frankie Gaye, singer, brother of Marvin
Wally George, announcer
Andy Gibb, singer
Peggy Gilbert, jazz musician
Frank Gumm, Judy Garland's Father (in addition, Garland's mother and grandmother are also buried there)

[edit] H

Hard Boiled Haggerty, professional wrestler, actor; aka H.B. Haggerty
Gabby Hayes, actor
Horace Heidt, band leader
Karen Susan Hamilton, AKA Sue Williams, Playboy's Miss April 1965

[edit] I

Rex Ingram, actor
Jill Ireland, actress

[edit] J

Kelly Johnson, Aviation Engineer, Founder of Skunk works

[edit] K

Bob Kane, cartoonist, creator of Batman comics character
Buster Keaton, comedic actor
Ernie Kovacs, actor, comedian

[edit] L

Dorothy Lamour, actress
Fritz Lang, movie director
June Lang, actress
Nicolette Larson, singer
Charles Laughton, actor
Stan Laurel, comedic actor
Frederick Llewllelyn, President of Forest Lawn
George Liberace, actor/musician, older brother of Liberace
Liberace, pianist
Arthur Lee, musician
Stan Levey, music producer
Julie London, actress/singer

[edit] M

Harriet E. MacGibbon, actress,
Pat McCormick, comedian

[edit] N

Harriet Nelson, actress
Ozzie Nelson, actor
Ricky Nelson, television actor and singer

[edit] O

Orry-Kelly, costume designer

[edit] P

Jean Parker, actress
Brock Peters, actor
Charles Pierce, actor, female-impersonator
Freddie Prinze, actor
Jeff Porcaro, musician

[edit] Q

[edit] R

George Raft, actor
Lou Rawls, singer, actor
Dorothy Revier, actress
John Ritter, actor
Dar Robinson, movie stuntman
Kasey Rogers, actress

[edit] S

Sabu, actor
Jack Sahakian, hairdresser & actor
Isabel Sanford, actress
Telly Savalas, actor, buried with a lollypop
Johnny Sekka, actor
Roberta Sherwood, singer, actress
Phillips Smalley, director, actor
Jack Soo, actor, Detective Nick on TV's Barney Miller
Rod Steiger, actor
McLean Stevenson, actor
Victor Sutherland, actor
George Seaberg, musician, Trumpeter for Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mercer etc.