A Visit to Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Over the last few days we've taken a look at some of the people buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park -- musicians, comedians, actors, and writers, directors, and producers.

In the final post in this series we'll move over to the much larger Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard.

Hollywood Forever isn't as nicely maintained as Westwood, but it's been working to rebound from some financial difficulties, and as part of that it's become known as a popular venue for outdoor movie screenings and other events.

The cemetery's website describes itself as "the final resting place to more of Hollywood’s founders and stars than anywhere else on earth." Hollywood Forever is considerably larger than Westwood, so a map is helpful. The cemetery has recently redone its website, which offers useful location information. Many prominent filmmakers are buried in spots surrounding a lake.

Here are just a few of the notables buried at Hollywood Forever...

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Jr. share this imposing burial site; according to the cemetery website, when it was completed 18 months after Fairbanks Sr.'s death, it was the most expensive monument in California.

Some shots of the DeMille family plot:

Choreographer Agnes DeMille is buried to the left:

Cecil B. DeMille:

This is the Harry Cohn family plot. The small urn says "Jobella"; she was the daughter of Cohn and his wife, actress Joan Perry, who died in infancy.

Fay Wray:

Adolphe Menjou:

Menjou's wife, Verree Teasdale:

John Huston:

Janet Gaynor:

Gaynor's first husband, the costume designer Adrian:

I was especially moved to see the burial place of my favorite actor, Tyrone Power, who died suddenly at the age of 44.

A passage from HAMLET is engraved in the bench.

Memorial services continue to be regularly held in Power's honor at the cemetery, sometimes attended by former colleagues, as he was greatly loved and respected by many in Hollywood. The numbers of people left who worked with him are inevitably dwindling as time marches on.

For another look at Hollywood Forever, please visit Karen's post at Shadows and Satin.

Update: Here are photos from a 2019 visit.