Lena Horne Biography

Fast Facts

• Toured U․S․ Army camps with the USO during World War II, although she was later banned because of her criticism of how black soldiers were treated
• Her album "Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria" became the best-selling album by a female singer by her record label RCA Victor's history in 1957
• Was the first black performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio, joining MGM in 1942
• Won a Tony Award for her one-woman Broadway show "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music" in 1981
• Made her screen acting debut in the short film "Cab Calloway's Jitterbug Party" in 1935
• First began performing in the dance chorus of the Harlem nightclub the Cotton Club when she was 16 years old
• Quote: "The whole thing that made me a star was the war․ Of course the black guys couldn't put Betty Grable's picture in their footlockers․ But they could put mine․"
• Best known as a singer, actress, and civil rights activist who appeared in film musicals like "Thousands Cheer," "Show Boat," and "Two Girls and a Sailor․"
• One of her signature songs was "Stormy Weather," which she first performed in the film by the same name in 1943
• Was blacklisted from the Hollywood film industry for several years during the 1950s and spent that decade appearing on television and in nightclubs