Hollywood Forever Cemetery: Famous Graves & Visitor Guide

Why Hollywood Forever Cemetery is famous

Hollywood Forever Cemetery holds the graves of more 20th century film and television figures than any other cemetery in the world. The cemetery opened in 1899 as Hollywood Memorial Park. It is older than the film industry that defines it. But its location next to the original Paramount Pictures lot in Los Angeles made it the natural burial place for early Hollywood stars and most of their successors.

The cemetery fell into bad shape during the 1980s and 1990s. New owners bought it in 1998 and renamed it Hollywood Forever. The restoration kept the historic look but added a new programming layer. Outdoor film screenings, concerts, and Day of the Dead celebrations now bring regular non funeral visitors to the grounds.

Where is Hollywood Forever Cemetery?

Hollywood Forever is at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in central Hollywood, Los Angeles. The cemetery shares its southern edge with the Paramount Pictures lot. It is about one mile south of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Architectural and landscape character

Hollywood Forever has a Mediterranean Revival landscape with palm trees, reflecting pools, and ornamental ponds. The memorial styles include large family mausoleums, polished granite uprights from the mid 1900s, and a contemporary section with sculpted artist designed memorials. The Cathedral Mausoleum is the cemetery’s central building. It is a 1930 Renaissance Revival structure containing crypts and niches.

• Mel Blanc (1908 to 1989). Voice actor. Flat granite marker with the inscription “That’s all, folks!”
• Cecil B. DeMille (1881 to 1959). Film director. Family plot near the Garden of Legends.
• Rudolph Valentino (1895 to 1926). Silent film actor. Cathedral Mausoleum crypt 1205.
• Johnny Ramone (1948 to 2004). Guitarist, The Ramones. Bronze sculpted figure with guitar.
• Judy Garland (1922 to 1969). Actress and singer. Polished marble crypt, moved to Hollywood Forever in 2017.
• Carrie Fisher (1956 to 2016). Actress. Memorial shared with her mother Debbie Reynolds, in the Garden of Legends.

Memorial design highlights at Hollywood Forever

Mel Blanc’s flat marker is one of the most photographed memorials in any American cemetery. The inscription is “That’s all, folks!” That is the closing line of every Looney Tunes short. Blanc asked for the inscription in his will. The marker uses a standard granite flat marker form. The informal phrase creates a planned tone shift against the formal stones around it.

Johnny Ramone’s monument is one of the cemetery’s most ambitious contemporary memorials. The figure is sculpted in bronze. It is life sized and shows Ramone holding a guitar in performance pose. The memorial sits inside a granite plaza. The Ramones’ logo is carved into the surrounding stones.

Rudolph Valentino’s crypt at Cathedral Mausoleum has drawn an annual memorial pilgrimage since 1928. The “Lady in Black” memorial began the year he died. It still draws visitors each August.

Visiting Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Hollywood Forever is open every day from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is free. Self guided maps showing the famous graves are at the main office near the entrance. The cemetery has a flower shop on site. It is still an active cemetery with frequent funeral services. Visitors should respect any service in progress.

Where is Hollywood Forever Cemetery?
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90038. The cemetery is in central Hollywood, next to the Paramount Pictures lot.

Who is buried at Hollywood Forever?
Famous burials at Hollywood Forever include Mel Blanc, Cecil B. DeMille, Rudolph Valentino, Johnny Ramone, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Carrie Fisher, and Debbie Reynolds. The cemetery holds more 20th century film and television figures than any other cemetery in the world.

Is Hollywood Forever Cemetery open to the public?
Yes. Hollywood Forever is open every day from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is free.

Why is Hollywood Forever famous?
Hollywood Forever is the burial place of more 20th century film and television figures than any other cemetery. Its location next to Paramount Pictures and its 1899 founding made it the historic resting place for the Hollywood film industry.