Evergreen Cemetery
They are interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
List activity
945 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
11 people
- The son of a minstrel and circus tightrope walker, Eddie Anderson developed a gravel voice early in life which would become his trademark to fame. He joined his older brother Cornelius as members of "The Three Black Aces" during his vaudeville years, singing for pennies in the hotel lobby. He eventually moved his way up to the Roxy and Apollo theaters in New York, which led to the Los Angeles Cotton Club in the west.
He began to appear in films, typically in servile bits, his best being the featured role of "Noah" in The Green Pastures (1936). He continued in that vein until a chance pairing with comedy star Jack Benny on his radio program in 1937 put him on the map. He only had a bit part on Benny's Easter show as a Pullman porter, but his scratchy voice, superb timing and comic reaction to Benny's banter earned him a fixed spot. He then was heard as Benny's personal valet, Rochester Van Jones, and the role became so popular that he became billed as Eddie "Rochester" Anderson.
In between radio assignments, he found the time to appear in both film drama and comedies, including You Can't Take It with You (1938), Kentucky (1938), Jezebel (1938), and three with Benny - Man About Town (1939), Buck Benny Rides Again (1940) and Love Thy Neighbor (1940). After the films Brewster's Millions (1945) and The Show-Off (1946), Anderson concentrated on his partnership with Jack Benny, following him into television and working with him for a total of 23 years. He returned to the screen for It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) but ill health eventually forced him into retirement. He died of long-standing heart problems in 1977.Plot: Section A, Lot 2504 - Actor
- Soundtrack
Matthew 'Stymie' Beard was born on 1 January 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Dogs Is Dogs (1931), Love Business (1931) and Free Wheeling (1932). He was married to Annie. He died on 8 January 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Plot: Section L, Lot 315B- Actress
- Soundtrack
1930s and 1940s film actress Louise Beavers was merely one of a dominant gallery of plus-sized and plus-talented African-American character actresses forced to endure blatant, discouraging and demeaning stereotypes during Depression-era and WWII Hollywood.
It wasn't until Louise's triumphant role in Fannie Hurst's classic soaper Imitation of Life (1934) that a film of major significance offered a black role of meaning, substance and humanity. Louise's servile role as housekeeper Delilah, who works for single white mother Claudette Colbert, was a poignant and touching, three-dimensional character that had its own dramatic story. Brilliantly handling the heartbreaking co-plot of an appeasing single parent whose light-skinned daughter (played by Fredi Washington) went to cruel and desperate lengths to pass for white. While Louise certainly championed in the role and managed to steal the lion's share of reviews right from under the film's superstar, the movie triggered major controversy and just as many complaints as compliments from black and white viewers. This certainly did not help what could have been a major, positive shift in black filmmaking. Instead, for the next two or more decades Louise was again forced back to secondary status.
Ms. Beavers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 8, 1902 and moved with her family to the Los Angeles area at age 11. A student at Pasadena High School and a choir member at her local church, her mother, a voice teacher, trained Louise for the concert stage but instead the young girl joined an all-female minstrel company called "Lady Minstrels" and even hooked up for a time on the vaudeville circuit. A nursing career once entertained was quickly aborted in favor of acting. Her first break of sorts was earning a living as a personal maid and assistant to Paramount star Leatrice Joy (and later actress Lilyan Tashman). By 1924 she was performing as an extra or walk-on in between her chores. A talent agent spotted her and gave her a more noticeable role in Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927). She went on to gain even more visibility, but was invariably stuck in the background cooking or cleaning after the leads. Despite this her beaming smile and good nature paid off.
Following scene-grabbing maid roles to such stars as Mary Pickford in Coquette (1929) Linda Watkins in Good Sport (1931), Mae West in She Done Him Wrong (1933), Constance Bennett in What Price Hollywood? (1932) and Jean Harlow in Bombshell (1933), Louise received the role of her career. Her poignant story line and final death scene deserved an Oscar nomination and many insiders took her snub as deliberate and prejudicial. Five years later her close friend Hattie McDaniel would become the first black actor to not only earn an Oscar nomination but capture the coveted trophy as well for her subordinate role in Gone with the Wind (1939).
Despite their individual triumphs, both ladies continued in stereotyped roles. Occasionally Louise was rewarded with such Hollywood "A" treats as Made for Each Other (1939) with Carole Lombard, Holiday Inn (1942) starring Bing Crosby, and especially Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) with Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. In The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), she offered lovely moments as the baseball star's mother.
Although film offers dried up in the 1950s, Louise managed to transfer her talents to the new TV medium, and was one of a number of character actresses hired to play the wise-cracking, problem-solving maid Beulah (1950) during its run. "Beulah" was one of the first sitcoms to star a black actor. She also had a recurring role in Disney's "The Swamp Fox". In 1957, she made her professional stage debut in San Francisco with the short-lived play "Praise House" as a caregiver who extols the Bible through song. Her last few films, which included The Goddess (1958), All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960) and the Bob Hope comedy The Facts of Life (1960) were typical stereotypes and unmemorable.
A long time bachelor lady who finally married in the 1950s, the short, heavyset actress was plagued by health issues in later years, her obesity and diabetes in particular. She lost her fight on October 26, 1962, at age 60 following a heart attack. In 1976 she was posthumously inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.Plot: Section A, Lot 2424. (She is interred with her mother, E. Monroe Beavers)- Soundtrack
Jesse Belvin was born on 15 December 1932 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. He was married to Jo Ann Belvin. He died on 6 February 1960 in Fairhope, Arkansas, USA.Plot: Section G, Lot 41
GPS coordinates: 34.0406494, -118.2003326 (hddd.dddd)- Director
- Animation Department
Frank Braxton was born on 31 March 1929. He was a director, known for The Bullwinkle Show (1959), Peabody's Improbable History (1959) and Linus the Lionhearted (1964). He died on 1 June 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Everett Brown was born on 1 January 1902 in Smith County, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Gone with the Wind (1939), Danger Island (1931) and Tim Tyler's Luck (1937). He died on 14 October 1953 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mary Foy was born on 15 August 1901 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for A Favorite Fool (1915), Mutual Weekly, No. 51 (1915) and Popular Players Off the Stage (1913). She was married to Lyle Latell. She died on 13 December 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- John Lester Johnson was born in Suffolk, Virginia (his death certificate states South Carolina) on August 13, 1893. His middle name was Leslie, according to an "Ebony" magazine article about Johnson (January 1960), but he changed it to to Lester when he left Virginia in 1910 for New York City, hoping to make a career in boxing. He had been fighting since his early teens. Johnson's first professional fight was in 1911 against Joe Jeannette in New York, but he lost the 10-round event on a decision. Described by sportswriters of the time as a "giant of a man" or as "a hulking ton of coal", he really was just a good-sized light-heavyweight. His fighting weight varied between 173 and 185 pounds. The Harlem Sporting Club in New York City was the scene of what may have been the first integrated professional boxing event, on July 13, 1916. Johnson's opponent was Jack Dempsey, who was still unknown at that time, but had been attracting some attention in the Western states. During the fight, Johnson proved to be a very worthwhile match against Dempsey, for in the second round, he broke three of Dempsey's ribs. The fight did continue, however, for a total of ten rounds, with no decision. Some of the sportswriters gave Dempsey the winning title, but Dempsey himself denied winning. He said, "I didn't know how to fight then, and he (Johnson) did. I think he won, and he taught me more that night than I had ever dreamed before". For the bout, Dempsey was paid $100, Johnson $200. Johnson continued boxing for several more years, eventually making his way to California. Denied his chance at the championship, he drifted into boxing obscurity. He helped support himself by taking bit parts in motion pictures. He also worked as a night watchman for the Armed Forces General Services Center in Maywood, Los Angeles. John Lester Johnson appeared in many movies of the 1930s and 1940s, in small parts, usually as a doorman, a slave, a criminal, a witch doctor, and at least once as a policeman. He did have one "starring" role, however, in the Our Gang 1933 short, "The Kid From Borneo". In this movie, he played Bumbo, "The Wild Man from Borneo". As Bumbo, he had a craving for candies, and every time he saw some, he'd say in a low, growling-like voice, "YUM-YUM! EAT' EM UP!" Johnson suffered a series of disabling strokes in the late 1950s, he resided at the Veterans Administration Hospital in West Los Angeles until his death, at age 74, on March 27, 1968. His wife, the former Lulu Dill, survived. Johnson is interred at the Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles.
- Soundtrack
Bobby Nunn was born on 20 September 1925 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He died on 5 November 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Plot: Section L, Lot 392B- Johnny St. Cyr was born on 17 April 1890 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He died on 17 June 1966 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Plot: Section E, Lot 4029
- Frances Belle O'Connor was born on September 8, 1914 in Granite Falls, Reville County, Minnesota. She was born without arms, but learned to use her feet in incredibly dexterous ways. Combining her physical beauty and an outgoing personality, it made her a natural for the sideshow circuit. Billed as "The Living Venus de Milo," and with her mother as manager, she worked with various circuses such as Al G. Barnes, Cole Brothers and Sells-Floto before she settled at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where she worked for over 20 years until the mid-1940s.
Frances was remarkably agile with her feet, and during her act she would smoke a cigarette, drink coffee, use a knife and fork to cut her food, dab the corners of her mouth with a napkin, all with a ballerina-like grace. The most startling part of her act was when she would demonstrate her talent with firearms, and she would close her show by signing autographs. Because her legs functioned as her arms, Frances was obviously able to show her legs a great deal, and the innocent sexual undertones of her act actually benefited her in the particularly prudish era of the 1930's. Her beauty attracted scores of men and eligible suitors, and she reputedly turned down hundreds of marriage proposals during her career.
O'Connor appeared with numerous other human oddities in Freaks (1932), and performed various daily tasks which were complete normal to her. During the sequence at the wedding feast, she wears a pretty costume that had no sleeves at all, leaving her shoulders entirely bare and revealing the smooth skin where her arms would be. Unfortunately, this was Frances' only screen appearance.
Shortly after her mother passed away, Frances lost interest in the rigours of traveling and performing, and decided to completely retire from show business, disappeared into obscurity almost overnight. She spent the remainder of her days with her favorite hobby, knitting and sewing, and despite having many suitors in her lifetime, she never married and had no children. She passed away on January 30, 1982 in Long Beach, California at the age of 67.