If you’re looking for a place in Hollywood to find the stars, look no further—here you’ll find a list of famous gravesites of people buried at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park. Throughout the rolling, lush grounds of Forest Lawn’s Glendale and Hollywood Hills memorial parks are stars as far as the eye can see—and in places you can’t see!
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Can Anyone Be Buried at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale, California?
- Famous People or Celebrities Buried at Forest Lawn
While the Glendale and Hollywood Hills memorial parks are the most well-known of the Forest Lawn cemeteries (and some of the most beautiful cemeteries in the United States), they also have locations in the Coachella Valley (Cathedral City), Covina Hills, Cypress, and Long Beach. Since most of the famous people have found their eternal rest in Glendale and Hollywood Hills, we will focus on those two for this article.
Can Anyone Be Buried at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale, California?
Yes, anyone can be buried at Forest Lawn’s Memorial-Park in Glendale, Calif. (the same goes for all the Forest Lawn locations, including in Hollywood Hills). But the privilege will be costly.
Median national funeral, viewing, and burial costs average $7,640 (or $9,000 or more when a vault is included). The cost of the basic funeral and memorial services plus cemetery services (the “Harmony Package”) is $10,565 for the Los Angeles locations of Forest Lawn. They have several packages available, with the most expensive being the “Elegance Package,” This top-of-the-line selection can cost approximately $17,350. They also offer premium caskets that cost up to $34,000 each as well as other premium services.
Famous People or Celebrities Buried at Forest Lawn
Forest Lawn is known for its privacy policies, which is one of the reasons it’s popular among the celebrity set. The cemetery is notorious for its policy of not revealing the locations of famous graves and not allowing visitors in restricted places.
So, if you’re looking for movie stars and other celebrities at Forest Lawn, don’t bother asking the staff or security. They will shut you down. At this cemetery, privacy is paramount.
Forest Lawn - Glendale
1. Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957) was an unforgettable presence on the silver screen. His films are legendary, his roles iconic, and his grave … is very small.
Bogart’s cremated remains are located in a small wall niche in the Garden of Memory, which is a private area in Forest Lawn. To visit, you must have a key and/or be related to someone interred inside. There are many other stars located in the Garden of Memory (see below), so if you get a chance to enter this garden location, keep an eye out for familiar names on flat lawn markers, wall niches, and larger family plots.
Lauren Bacall, his co-star in “To Have and Have Not” and later his wife, had a whistle engraved with a message then placed it inside his urn. The message says, “If you need anything, just whistle,” the famous line from that movie.
2. Walt Disney
The man behind the most well-known mouse in the world rests eternally in Forest Lawn’s Garden of Freedom in the Court of Freedom Section. The Disneys have their own private garden near the entrance to the Freedom Mausoleum.
Walt Disney (1901-1966) was a pioneer in animated motion pictures, co-founder (with his brother, Roy) of Walt Disney Productions, and the creator of the Disney theme parks Disneyland and Walt Disney World, which would then lead to more Disney parks throughout the world. For his movies, he won 22 Academy Awards while he was alive. More than 50 after his death, Disney movies continue to win awards and people’s hearts.
3. Mary Pickford
Known as “America’s Sweetheart,” silent film actress Mary Pickford (1892-1979) wasn’t just a pretty face on the early big screens. Pickford was a 5’1” force to be reckoned with.
Pickford’s father died in an accident when she was 7 years old, and she became the family’s main source of income by performing in the theatre. She would soon leave the stage and work in the “flickers,” as early movies were then known. But she did a lot more than act. She was a producer, director, and writer who worked with the best in the business. She was a co-founder of United Artists with Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Charles Chaplin, and D.W. Griffith.
4. Chico and Gummo Marx
Two of the Marx Brothers have crypts interred here at the Freedom Mausoleum’s Sanctuary of Worship. Chico Marx (1887-1961) was the Marx Brother who portrayed a character of a piano-playing Italian stereotype of the time and wore a dark curly wig and pointed hat. Born Leonard Marx, he was the oldest of the brothers and essentially acted as their manager. He was known for his gambling and womanizing (he was called Chico because he was often chasing “chicks”).
Born Milton Marx, Gummo Marx (1892-1977) is the least-known brother, as he left the act before they became stars. When he left, he joined the Army. That’s when Zeppo stepped in. Later on, he took over managing his brothers and became a talent agent.
Brothers Groucho and Harpo are not buried in any of the Forest Lawn properties. Groucho is buried in Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, California; and Harpo was cremated and said to have been scattered at the seventh hole in Palm Springs’ Rancho Mirage golf course.
5. Larry Fine
Another famous slapstick comedian is also interred in the Freedom Mausoleum. Larry Fine (1902-1975) of The Three Stooges is located in the Sanctuary of Liberation. He was in more than 200 movies and was also in “The Three Stooges” TV show. The other Stooges are interred in other cemeteries. Moe Howard is in Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California; and Jerome “Curly” Howard and Shemp Howard are buried in Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California.
6. Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge (1923-1965) was the first African-American actress to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Carmen in 1954’s “Carmen Jones.”
Her grave is located in the Freedom Mausoleum in the Columbarium of Victory.
7. Michael Jackson
When Michael Jackson (1958-2009) died more than 10 years ago, it caused a shockwave across the world. The King of Pop was only 50 years old when he suffered cardiac arrest due to a combination of drugs given to him by his doctor. His death was ruled a homicide, and the doctor was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson was just about to launch a world tour, his first in years.
Jackson’s grave is in the Grand Mausoleum, specifically in the Holly Terrace.
Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills
8. Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
In 2016, fans across the world were shocked to find out that Princess Leia of “Star Wars” had died. Carrie Fisher (1956-2016) died of cardiac arrest just days after she suffered a heart attack on a plane bound for L.A.
What was even more shocking was when her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds, died the following day. Her son, Todd, believes she died of a broken heart.
Fisher and Reynolds (1932-2016) are buried together in the Courts of Remembrance section. The stone sarcophagus is golden in color, and a white, marble statue of a mother and daughter graces the top of it.
9. Bette Davis
A true Hollywood legend, Bette Davis (1908-1989) was not only immensely talented, but she was also the highest-paid woman in the US when she worked for Warner Brothers in the 1940s. Davis was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and she won two.
Her grave is located in the Court of Remembrance along the outer wall. The white marble sarcophagus with a statue of a mourning woman on top. It features the Davis name, and her epitaph reads: “She did it the hard way.”
10. John Ritter
John Ritter (1948-2003) was a beloved actor who was known best for his role as Jack Tripper on the TV show “Three’s Company. In fact, he won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his work on the show. He was starring in the TV show “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter” at the time of his death.
He is buried in the Court of Liberty section in the Gardens of Heritage division.
11. Liberace
Another well-known star, Liberace, also rests in the Courts of Remembrance. Born Wladziu Valentino Liberace (1919-1987) in Wisconsin, he was just a young man when he debuted with the Chicago Symphony. He eventually ran his own musical variety show on television. Liberace was known as “Mr. Showmanship” because of his trademark extravagant wardrobe and elegant sets, including a candelabra that would always be placed on his piano. He performed in Las Vegas to sold-out crowds for many years.
12. Lou Rawls
Singer Lou Rawls (1933-2006) was a Grammy-award-winning singer whose style ranged from R&B and gospel to jazz and blues and more. He was also known for his philanthropic work, including his annual Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon for the United Negro College Fund.
He is interred in the Courts of Remembrance section in a wall crypt.
The Stars and More
Forest Lawn Memorial-Park isn’t just a place to spot celebrities. The Forest Lawn grounds are beautiful locations for anyone to choose as their final resting place. The Glendale and Hollywood Hills memorial parks may not be the largest cemeteries in the world, but they have a lot of space and every view is stunning.
Sources:
- Borrelli, Lena. “Average funeral cost.” Bankrate, 12 July 2021. bankrate.com
- Wayne, Gary. Seeing the Stars in Hollywood. seeing-stars.com