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Virtual Tour of Hollywood Forever Cemetery

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Time Out says

You can't stroll the grounds of one of the world's most famous cemeteries for now, but you can stroll it digitally. On May 22, Hollywood Forever Cemetery —the final resting place of many a celebrity and home to some of our favorite walking paths in the city—will take us all on a free tour while we wait for the reopening. 

Built in 1899, the historic site features fountains, rolling hills and, of course, tombs and memorials to some of entertainment's most beloved stars: Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino and Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone are all interred there, among so many others, providing a little bit of film and music history everywhere you turn. 

Seasoned Hollywood Forever tour guide Karie Bible will be leading us through the grounds and diving into fact and legend as we follow along on Zoom. Simply register online here , then you'll be sent the link to join the tour that takes place on Friday, May 22, at 5pm. You won't even need walking shoes.

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A guide to 18 of Hollywood Forever’s most famous residents

From Jayne Mansfield to Bugsy Siegel

For those looking to shake up their Halloween routine, may we suggest a leisurely cemetery tour. While all of LA’s graveyards have their fair share of celebs interred, Hollywood Forever Cemetery really takes the cake in terms of diversity of the deceased.

Figures who molded and shaped Los Angeles as we know it today— Los Angeles Times publisher and real estate investor Harry Chandler; Griffith J. Griffith, who gave the land that would become Griffith Park to the city—rest eternally alongside famous movie people without whom Hollywood would have surely suffered, like epic-movie-maker Cecil B. DeMille, and rock royalty, like Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone.

This guide to the gravestones was compiled with a lot of help from Hollywood Forever’s own grave guide , which gives information on burial locations down to the plot number.

Harry Chandler

Chandler married Harrison Gray Otis' daughter and later took over as publisher of the LA Times . His major real estate investments played an enormous role in shaping LA as we know it today. [Image via Wildhartlivie ]

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Harrison Gray Otis

The man without whom the LA Times probably wouldn't exist. Editor and publisher of the LA Times for nearly three decades. Known for his conservative politics, he's part of why the LA Times building was targeted by union activists who blew it up in 1910. [Image via Swampyank ]

Griffith J. Griffith

The man responsible for donating the land that is now Griffith Park, and leaving behind the money to build the Greek Theatre and the Griffith Observatory. He had a run-in with the law after he shot his wife in the face (he says it was an accident) and served two years in San Quentin. A very cool obelisk marks his grave.

Hobart J. Whitley

This native Canadian's gravestone calls him the "Father of Hollywood," as he named the place while honeymooning with his wife. He also helped develop Reseda and Van Nuys. Whitley Heights is named for him.

Cecil B. DeMille

When he wasn't building Egyptian cities in the dunes or giving entire homes as wedding presents , DeMille directed over 50 films, silent and with sound, including The Ten Commandments and Cleopatra . [Image via Wildhartlivie]

Rudolph Valentino

The handsome silent film star died young (only 31!), crushing the hopes and dreams of droves of young women who loved the actor from afar. According to a cemetery tour guide , Valentino's grave is still, to this day, "the most celebrated, visited and talked-about." [Image via Alan Light ]

Douglas Fairbanks

The silent film actor who was often seen with a crazy mustache was a founding member of United Artists and the Motion Picture Academy of the Arts. He was married to Mary Pickford. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department ]

Blanc voiced dozens of Warner Brothers cartoon characters from Bugs Bunny to the Tasmanian Devil. His tombstone is inscribed, "That's All Folks." [Image via Robert A. Estremo ]

Peter Lorre

Lorre gained fame through his work in the films The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department

Jayne Mansfield

Platinum-blonde Mansfield was a sex symbol whom some called "the working man's Monroe," as she was definitely a rival of Marilyn Monroe. She died at just 34 in a tragic car accident. Her gravemarker here is more of a memorial; she's actually buried in Pennsylvania. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department]

Hattie McDaniel

McDaniel worked in both radio and film and has stars on the Walk of Fame for both. She won an Academy Award for her role in Gone With The Wind, and was the first African-American to be awarded the honor. She was supposed to be buried here but due to prevailing segregation rules at the cemetery, was actually interred elsewhere. This marker was added in the late ’90s. [Image via Wildhartlivie ]

Johnny Ramone

The clear winner of the unofficial award for best gravemarker in the entire cemetery (and maybe all of LA) is this leather-jacketed rocker who was a founding member of the punk bank The Ramones. [Image via Wikimedia ]

Dee Dee Ramone

Dee Dee was a founding member of the Ramones, and also wrote songs and played bass for the group. Some of the Ramones best jams were penned by Dee Dee, including "53rd & 3rd" and "Rockaway Beach." [Image via Sean Russell ]

Bugsy Siegel

This gangster was also an early Las Vegas developer. He was fatally shot in his girlfriend's house when he was just 41. [Image via Gedstrom ]

Tyrone Power

From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power starred in scads of films including The Mask of Zorro and Prince of Foxes. Later in his career, he took on more serious, weighty roles like in Witness for the Prosecution, in which he played a man accused of murder.

Vampira (Maila Nurmi)

The original Vampira, Nurmi was an aspiring actress who "made it" doing a late-night TV show as the creepy character. She was also in Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space. Admirers still leave plastic fangs on her grave sometimes. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department ]

Marion Davies

Davies is best remembered as William Randolph Hearst's mistress, but she was also an actress and producer, and began her career on Broadway. She also had a fair amount of money on her own; when Hearst's company was failing in the late Thirties, she wrote him a million-dollar check to get out of debt.

John Huston

A director who wrote scripts for many of the epics he produced, Huston's big work like The Treasure of Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, and The African Queen garnered him 15 Oscar nominations. (He won twice.) [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department ]

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Hollywood Forever Cemetery Virtual Tour

May 22, 2020 • 5:00 pm PDT

Film historian Karie Bible will host a curated jaunt through one of Los Angeles most unique and most visited attractions. As Hollywood Forever Cemetery’s only sanctioned tour guide, Karie will virtually visit some of Hollywood’s legends and introduce viewers to a few lesser known but no less impactful personalities.

Part of Los Angeles Tourism’s “Magic Hour”  initiative where fans of L.A. are invited to (virtually) enjoy the people and places that make L.A. magical.

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Walking Tour of  Hollywood Forever Cemetery

About Hollywood Forever

Hollywood Forever  is a full-service  funeral home ,  crematory ,  cemetery , and  cultural events center  in the heart of Hollywood. 

Founded in 1899, the cemetery is one of the world’s most visited landmarks, and the final resting place of hundreds of Hollywood legends, including  Judy Garland, Cecil B. DeMille, Rudolph Valentino, Mickey Rooney, Tyrone Power, Douglas Fairbanks, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, Valerie Harper, Chris Cornell, and hundreds of others, alongside thousands of neighborhood residents and individuals from across the globe. The functioning cemetery offers lawn spaces,  cremation niches ,  mausoleum crypts , and the  Beth Olam  section is one of the oldest, active Jewish cemeteries in California.

Since 2000, Hollywood Forever has partnered with Cinespia to present cinema screenings each summer on the Fairbanks Lawn, and the cemetery’s  Dia de Los Muertos  celebration attracts over 30,000 visitors each year. Paramount Studios was built on the undeveloped south end of the original site, where the studio still operates, and the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1999.

Tour Sch edule

"The Cemetery of the Stars" 

Come visit legendary notables such as Cecil B. Demille, Marion Davies, Tyrone Power, Rudolph Valentino, Vampira, John Huston, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and more. It is a great overview of the cemetery and its most famous residents.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

6000 Santa Monica Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

*The tour is $35.00 per person and lasts 2 1/2 hours long. There is an additional $1.00 service charge to book online.

No advance reservations required.

**********************************************************************************************

NEW TOUR DATE S

May 2nd at 10:00am 

May 4th at 10:00am

May 11th at 10:00am

May 25th at 10:00am

June 1st at 10:00am

June 8th at 10:00am

June 15th at 10:00am

June 22nd at 10:00am 

June 29th at 10:00am

July 13th at 10:00am

July 20th at 10:00am

July 27th at 10:00am

August 3rd at 10:00am

August 10th at 10:00am

August 17th at 10:00am

August 24th at 10:00am

August 31st at 10:00am

NIGHT TOUR DA TES

Sunday, April 28th at 7:00pm

**Please check back as dates are only made available for this one or two weeks in advance. 

The night tour is $85 per person and lasts about 2 1/2 hours long. Guests are encouraged to bring a flashlight.

If you have any questions about funeral planning, plots or burials, please visit the cemetery's official website for information.

******************************************************************************

LECTURES AVAILABLE!

Learn all about the famous residents and history of Hollywood Forever from the comfort of your local library or senior center. See the cemetery grounds and take a journey through the fascinating world of Hollywood history!  Past lecture sites include the Homestead Museum, Queen Mary, Niles Film Museum, San Francisco State University and several local Los Angeles libraries. 

Alternate tours can be booked by request including:

Jewish Heritage

Explore the lives and contributions of the Jewish residents interred at Hollywood Forever. This tour includes a visit to the Beth Olam Mausoleum. Highlights include Garbo’s agent Charles Feldman, mobster Bugsy Siegel, Academy Award winning screenwriter Michael Kanin ( Woman of the Year ), The Ritz Brothers and the Anne Frank Memorial. This tour cannot be done on Saturdays, as the Jewish Mausoleum is closed on that day each week.

Hidden Hollywood

Uncover the lost stars and obscure names forgotten by time. This tour includes the Talmadge Sisters, tragic silent stars Karl Dane and Renee Adoree ( The Big Parade ), director William Beaudine ( Sparrows ), Clifton Webb ( Laura ), Iron Eyes Cody, Henry B. Walthall ( London After Midnight ) and many more!

Daytrippen.com

Your Trip Starts Here

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Self Guided Tours

by DayTrippen

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Only in Hollywood can a cemetery be a sacred resting space but also be a tourist attraction and a venue for cultural events.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which used to be known as Hollywood Memorial Park, is a functioning cemetery that is the final resting place of more of Hollywood’s founders than any other place in the world. It is also one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles.

The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. If you live in the Los Angeles area or plan a trip to Hollywood, a visit to Hollywood Forever Cemetery is unique to your itinerary.

The cemetery was founded in 1899 on 100 acres. Later, the cemetery sold off some land to Hollywood Paramount Studios, built in the back half of the original cemetery property.

A portion of the cemetery is set aside as the Beth Olam Cemetery, a dedicated Jewish burial ground, is the final resting place for Hollywood’s Jewish community.

This cemetery was famous with many of the founders of Hollywood’s largest studios and directors, performers, and writers. Hundreds of favorite early Hollywood stars are buried here, including Jayne Mansfield, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, etc.

Cecil B. DeMille, the director of the Ten Commandments, is buried here, and his large tomb depicts two matching Egyptian-style sarcophagi. Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel is buried in the mausoleum on the cemetery grounds near Paramount Studios.

Johnny Ramone, the guitar player for the Ramones, is buried here, with his grave marker featuring a statue of him, from the waist up, rocking out on a guitar; a fitting memorial for punk rock powerhouse.

There was a period when the cemetery fell into despair. However, it was purchased in the late 1990s by a family from Missouri. They renamed the cemetery and worked to restore and refurbish the place. Through their investments, the graveyard was revitalized, and people, once again, came to visit the final resting place of the stars.

People choose to visit the cemetery for a variety of reasons. Family members come to see the resting place of their loved ones, and fans and Hollywood buffs come to see the graves of the town’s stars and starlets. Others come just out of curiosity or to find a quiet space in the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles.

The cemetery includes large grassy areas, meandering roads, a pond feature, and several mausoleums. Some of the tombstones are dramatic, featuring ornate detail, pictures, etc.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Events

The cemetery hosts events, including summertime movie showings where movies are projected on the side of the white marble mausoleum. People bring blankets, lawn chairs, food, and drink and take in the show. Each movie draws an average of 3,000 people.

There are also Dia de Los Muertos festivities in late October/early November, where families artfully decorate the graves and tombs of their deceased relatives. The Masonic Hall is also at the cemetery, and hosts live musical events, often selling out.

Cemetery Ghost Stories

There are many stories of ghostly encounters for those of you who like ghost stories. One account is that the ghost of William Randolph Hearst is said to visit the grave of Marion Davies, his mistress.

Some are visiting the grave of Virginia Rappe, a silent film actress, and report hearing sounds of a woman sobbing, though no one is around that is crying. These are just a few stories of the paranormal activity occurring at the cemetery.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Parking

Parking is free in the cemetery (events are not), and there is a small shop to purchase flowers and gifts. Free street parking can be found nearby.

If you plan to visit Hollywood Forever, please remember that this is a cemetery, and you should politely carry yourself during your visit. Don’t horseplay, use loud voices, run or engage in activities that could damage gravesites or markers or disrupt other visitors.

Motion picture historian Karie Bible leads a walking tour through the cemetery, or you can wander around the graveyard for free. Bring sunscreen, a hat, a light jacket for weather changes, and some water. More information on the tours can be found here .

Where is Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Plan on spending about one hour at Hollywood Forever cemetery, leaving plenty of time for checking out the rest of Hollywood’s attractions.

Planning your Visit: Hollywood Forever is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, just west of N. Van Ness Avenue in Hollywood. From Highway 101, take the Santa Monica Blvd (SR-2) exit and proceed west. Cemetery hours of operation are 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, seven days a week.

Hollywood Day Trip

Ferndale california day trip, mission san luis rey oceanside.

Hello. I actually don’t do public tours on Wednesdays. People can find my tour schedule at http://www.cemeterytour.com

Hello Karie

I updated the article and added a link to the cemetery tour booking page.

Best Gordon

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Hollywood Forever Cemetery Living History Tour 2023

• Hollywood Forever, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood

Every October for the past 40 years, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles "digs up the dirt" on Hollywood's history through a walking tour of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which opened in 1899. Featured on the tour are Art Deco monuments and the final resting places of people whose names will forever be associated with Hollywood and the City of Angels, including Col. Griffith J. Griffith, Hollywood founder Harvey Wilcox; actors Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino and Marion Davies; filmmakers Cecil B. DeMille and William Desmond Taylor. Choose a time between 9 and 11 a.m. to begin. And wear comfortable shoes for the 2.5- to 3-hour tour.

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Hollywood Gothique Says:

Entertaining and informative, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles’s annual Hollywood Forever Cemetery Walking Tour evokes the Art Deco era of the 20th Century rather than ghosts of the dead. Yet the costumed guides delve into dark Hollywood scandals as well, and the later living-history section raises one or two Hollywood spirits.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90038 www.artdecola.org (323) 469-1181

• Art Deco Cemetery Tour Review

2023 Date & Hours : Sunday, October 15. Tours commence every 20 minutes between 9am and 11am.

Tickets : $18 for ADSLA members, $28 for non-members in advance; $20 for ADSLA members, $30 for non-members at the door. Advance sales end on October 14 at 12:59pm.

The  Art Deco Society of Los Angeles presents a Hollywood Forever Cemetery Walking Tour in October. Though not specifically themed to Halloween, the tour provides an alternative to other seasonal events in Los Angeles: more historical than horrific (there are no monsters or ghosts lurking behind the tombstones), the lengthy stroll offers a fascinating overview of the cemetery’s art deco stylings and its most famous residents: Cecil B. Demille, Marion Davies, Tyrone Power, Rudolph Valentino, Maila Murmi (Vampira), Fay Wray, and John Huston, along with the sometimes sordid stories of Hollywood scandal.

The Art Deco Society’s Hollywood Forever Cemetery Walking Tour lasts approximately two-and-a-half hours. Wear comfortable shoes and a hat. Sunscreen or an umbrella might be advisable, depending on the weather. Bottled water is recommended.

Parking : lot behind the Cathedral Mausoleum in the southeast corner of the cemetery.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Walking Tour Review

Read our write-up of the Art Deco Society’s 2014 cemetery tour:

Review: Hollywood Forever Cemetery Art Deco Tour 2014

Hollywood Forever Cemetery: Other Events

Other events take place at Hollywood Forever Cemetery place year-round, including screenings and Hollywood Forever Cemetery History Tours. Paramount Studios’ night-time Halloween tour Paramount after Dark includes a trek through the cemetery grounds. Check for events on page for the venue , or read about past events in our Hollywood Forever Cemetery Archive.

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