Who is buried in the hollywood forever cemetery

Los Angeles city council unanimously bestowed the designation to the 123-year-old site where many movie legends are buried

Dani Anguiano in Los Angeles

The Hollywood Forever cemetery, the final resting place of stars such as Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and Burt Reynolds, is now a historic-cultural monument.

The Los Angeles city council unanimously voted this week to grant the designation to the 123-year-old cemetery, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999. An architectural historian who prepared a report on the cemetery for the city found it “exemplifies significant contributions to the broad cultural, economic or social history”.

“It’s truly a special place on so many levels, both in terms of its architecture, and its landscape, but also in terms of the history that contributed to the development of this place,” Heather Goers, the author of the report, told LAist.

Some buildings and landscape features at the cemetery, which first opened in 1899, date back to 1903, according to the report. The report recommended the cemetery receive the designation because of its association with the “early development of Hollywood … the development of the cemetery industry in Los Angeles, and … the development of Jewish burial facilities in Los Angeles”.

City council members and local officials praised the decision.

“It is a long time coming and well deserved for this incredibly historic site that has transitioned not only from being a place of rest, but to being a place now of entertainment and a public square that can be enjoyed by so many of the Los Angeles public,” Brian Curran, the president of Hollywood Heritage Museum, said during a meeting.

The 53-acre property, regarded by some as one of the most iconic cemeteries in the world, also serves as a public gathering place, with visitors coming to the site to attend movie screenings, do yoga and walk among the ponds and elaborate mausoleums.

Along with stars of Hollywood’s golden age, the cemetery has also been home to colonies of feral cats, who can be spotted resting on gravestones and near mausoleums.

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Hollywood Forever is a full-service funeral home, crematory, cemetery, and cultural events center in the heart of Hollywood. One of the world’s most visited landmarks, Hollywood Forever is the final resting place of hundreds of Hollywood’s founders and stars, along with thousands of neighborhood residents and individuals from throughout the globe.

Funeral Home, Cemetery, and Crematory

An integral part of the surrounding community, Hollywood Forever is a unique place to celebrate a life, whether honoring revered traditions or building new ones. Families can select everything from traditional burial to the simplest cremation. The park offers lawn spaces, cremation niches, and mausoleum crypts. The Beth Olam section — one of the oldest, active Jewish cemeteries in California — offers traditional Jewish burial.

Whatever your tradition, faith, culture, or affiliation, we will work with you to create a thoughtful and meaningful ceremony. Our staff speaks many languages, including English, Spanish, Russian, Armenian, and Thai.

Cultural Events

Hollywood Forever is one of Los Angeles’s most dynamic cultural centers, welcoming families and visitors to concerts, plays, films, and more. Since 2000, we have partnered with Cinespia to present screenings each summer on the Fairbanks Lawn. Thousands of people gather each Saturday to watch classic films and contemporary favorites. The cemetery’s Dia de Los Muertos celebration — a day-long festival featuring memorial altars, traditional dancers, art exhibits, crafts, and Latino recording artists — attracts visitors from around the world each year.

History

Founded in 1899, the cemetery was an integral part of the growth of early Hollywood. Paramount Studios was built on the undeveloped south end of the original site, where the studio still operates. The cemetery of choice for most of Hollywood’s founders and luminaries, Hollywood Forever was listed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1999.

Walkable Museum

Today, visitors come to Hollywood Forever from all over the world to pay respects to many of the arts’ most cherished figures, like Judy Garland, Cecil B. DeMille, Rudolph Valentino, Mickey Rooney, Tyrone Power, Douglas Fairbanks, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, Chris Cornell, and hundreds of others. A detailed map and walking guide book are available in the park’s flower shop for those who wish to explore on their own. For those interested in guided tours offered by local historian Karie Bible, please visit the website cemeterytour.com for scheduling and details.

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To learn more about our funeral home, cemetery, crematory, and cultural events, please contact us.