Los Angeles Cemeteries Abound for Star Sightings

Hollywood's Final Resting Spots For Celebrities and Movie Stars

Nov 24, 2008

Hollywood's five star-studded cemeteries give every visitor a chance to get up close and personal with the gravesite's of their favorite celebrities.

Cemeteries are sacred places where respect is paid to the lives of those laid to rest. Celebrities, often made famous in film and television, have now been immortalized in granite. Their lives may have ended but their legends live on.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Founded in 1899 as Hollywood Cemetery, Paramount Studios is built on what use to be the back half of the cemetery grounds. With elaborate headstones and mausoleums, it is by far the most visually interesting of all the cemeteries. Walking through the grounds is like taking a stroll through vintage Hollywood history: Cecil B. DeMille, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and Powers Booth are all here. If visiting during the summer months, make sure to check out the movie screenings in the cemetery. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Maps are available at the cemetery to help locate gravesites.

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

Tucked behind towering office buildings, it’s easy to miss this treasure of a cemetery. Intimate and beautiful, it is worth the time to find it. Legends such as Jack Lemon, Walter Mathieu, Marilyn Monroe, Merv Griffin and Eva Gabor can be found here. In addition, author Ray Bradbury, Comedian Rodney Dangerfield and murdered TV Star, Bob Crane. Look hard enough and find Eddie Albert and Jim Backus (Mr. Howell from “Gilligan’s Island”). This cemetery is small enough to be very managable. No map needed.

Forest Lawn Cemeteries—Glendale and Hollywood Hills

These cemeteries, which house the largest number of celebrities, are not welcoming to tourists and are not helpful in finding gravesites. Advance mapping should be done, unless just wandering the beautiful landscaping will suffice. In Glendale graves for Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogard, Errol Flynn and Walk Disney can be found. Hollywood Hills is home to Dean Martin, Carroll O’Connor, Lucille Ball, Roy Orbison, Natalie Wood and Mel Torme. These cemeteries do not provide maps to star's gravesites so research before going is recommended.

Holy Cross Cemetery

This Roman Catholic Cemetery, located in the gently rolling hills of Culver City, became the final resting place for most of the Catholic celebrities. Bing Crosby, Bela Lugosi, Rita Hayworth, murdered actress Sharon Tate, Loretta Young and Jimmy Durante are all here. A map is highly recommended to help find the gravesites.

All these cemeteries are currently active so please be respectful of others while visiting.

The copyright of the article Los Angeles Cemeteries Abound for Star Sightings in California Travel is owned by Jennifer Blair. Permission to republish Los Angeles Cemeteries Abound for Star Sightings in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.