Lena Horne

Birth Name:

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne

Birth Place:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States

Profession

Soundtrack, Actress

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
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
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
First began performing in the dance chorus of the Harlem nightclub the Cotton Club when she was 16 years old
Made her screen acting debut in the short film "Cab Calloway's Jitterbug Party" in 1935
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

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