Profile of the Day: Lena Horne

Trailblazing performer and civil rights activist Lena Horne was born on this day in 1917.

Horne was born on June 30, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of 16, she dropped out of school and began performing at the Cotton Club in Harlem. It was at the infamous club that Horne was first introduced to the jazz community. She made her Broadway debut in the chorus of the 1934 show Dance With Your Gods. A few years later, Horne returned to the New York jazz scene as a performer at the Café Society club, which was popular with both Black and white artists and intellectuals.

Throughout the 1940s and 50s, Horne became one of the most popular and highest paid African American performers of the time. After her move to Hollywood, Horne starred in several feature films, including Cabin in the Skye and Stormy Weather, which would feature her trademark song. She also released several successful albums, including the 1957 album Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria. The album became the biggest-selling record by a female artist in the history of her record label at the time. In 1958, Horne was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Jamaica.

In addition to being a great performer, Horne was also a renowned civil rights activists. She often performed and spoke at rallies across the country on behalf of the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women and even participated in the March on Washington in 1963.

With a career that spanned over 70 years, Horne is remembered as a trailblazing performer. She died on May 9, 2010 at the age of 92.

View Lena Horne’s Geni Profile