Showtime developing limited series about life, career and civil rights activism of legendary entertainer Lena Horne
Her life spanned almost the entire 20th century and her career in showbiz spanned seven decades.
And now Lena Horne is to be the subject of a limited series for Showtime co-produced by her granddaughter Jenny Lumet, Variety reported on Wednesday.
Horne was not only a singer, dancer and actress; she was also a civil rights activist who refused to perform for segregated audiences of troops during World War II and who took part in 1963’s March On Washington.
Biopic: Her life spanned almost the entire 20th century and her career in showbiz spanned seven decades. And now Lena Horne is to be the subject of a limited series for Showtime
Horne was born in Brooklyn in 1917 and at age 16, she joined the chorus line at New York City’s famous Cotton Club.
In 1942, she made her debut at a club on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip and was soon signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
She appeared in a string of musical movies but in the 1950s she returned to nightclubs and became one of the most famous and pre-eminent entertainers with headlining shows in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York.
Icon: The Brooklyn-born entertainer, pictured in 1947, started out at New York’s famous Cotton Club at age 16 and went on to become a leading singer, actress and civil rights activist
Song and dance: In 1942, she made her club debut at on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip and signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She appeared in a string of musical movies but in the 1950s she returned to nightclubs
Celebrity pals: Horne forged friendships with many of her contemporary entertainers including Duke Ellington, left in 1979, and Ava Gardner, right in 1984
Star: Horne, pictured with Whitney Houston in 1990, continued to perform live and record albums until 2000. She passed away in May 2010 at age 92
She was regularly featured in a string of TV variety shows including those hosted by Dean Martin, Ed Sullivan, Judy Garland and Andy Williams.
Horne continued to perform live and record albums until 2000.
She passed away in May 2010 at age 92.
Horne had two children from her short-lived first marriage – daughter Gail and a son Edwin who died at age 30 in 1970.
Gail went on to become the third wife of acclaimed filmmaker Sidney Lumet and their daughter Jenny, 53, is working with producer Alex Kurtzman on developing the Showtime mini-series.
Family project: Horne’s daughter Gail is the mother of Jenny Lumet who is developing the mini series for Showtime. The two are pictured together in February this year
In development: Jenny Lumet is working with producer Alex Kurtzman, pictured in January. The limited series is titled Blackbird: Lena Horne and America and is named for Horne’s favorite poem Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
The biopic is titled Blackbird: Lena Horne and America and is named for Horne’s favorite poem Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, according to Variety.
As well as detailing the main events of her life and career, the series also promises to explore her activism and her relationships with such luminaries as Paul Robeson, Count Baise, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Hattie McDaniel, Ava Gardner and Orson Welles.
In a statement, Jenny Lumet said: ‘Grandma passed her stories to my mother, who now passes them to me, so I may pass them to the children of our family.’
She added: ‘Lena’s story is so intimate and at the same time, it’s the story of America – America at its most honest, most musical, most tragic and most joyous. It’s crucial now. Especially now.’
Meaningful; Jenny said: ‘Lena’s story is so intimate and at the same time, it’s the story of America – America at its most honest, most musical, most tragic and most joyous’