Great Entertainers at The Woodlawn Cemetery -

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Clyde Fitch Memorial

IN THE LATE 19th century, The Woodlawn Cemetery emerged as the chosen burial ground for many of New York's great entertainers. Vaudevillians and actors, producers and directors, and playwrights, dancers, singers, and musicians were all buried here, in addition to wealthy captains of industry and patrons of the arts. For over 100 years, talented individuals have been laid to rest at Woodlawn as esteemed members of the "entertainment family." The following provides locations, memorial information, and a brief biography of notable individuals at rest at Woodlawn.

JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON (1886-1954) Wild Rose
Director
Newfoundland native Anderson started his career as a ballroom dancer. It wasn't long, however, before he began staging his own productions at Paul Slavin's Palais Royale. He produced the first Greenwich Village Follies (1919) and directed many musicals, including Music Box Revue (1924), Dearest Enemy (1925), The Ziegfeld Follies of 1934, One for the Money (1939), Two for the Show (1940), Three to Make Ready (1949), and his final show, John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1953), featuring Harry Belafonte, Hermione Gingold, and Orson Bean.

JOSEPH ARTHUR (1848-1906) Brookside
Playwright
One of the most successful late-19th, early-20th century dramatists, Arthur was a newspaperman and foreign correspondent before turning to the drama. Many of his best plays were set in his home state of Indiana, including The Still Alarm (1887), Blue Jeans (1890, which enjoyed a three-year run), A Cold Day When We Get Left (1885), The Cherry Pickers (1896), The Salt of the Earth (1898), and Lost River (1900).

GEORGE AUGER (1883-1922) Honeysuckle R34 G293 unmarked
Circus Performer
The circus world promoted Auger as "The Biggest Man in the World". He was born in Cardiff, Wales and as a young man started work as a London "Bobbie", assigned to the police escort of Queen Victoria. He was noticed by the Ringling Circus and joined the troop in 1902. At the time of his death, "Captain" Auger was 8 feet , six inches tall and weighed close to 400 pounds. Over a thousand people gathered in the rain to watch as his specially made coffin was lowered from a window of his Manhattan apartment.

JAMES A. BAILEY (1846-1906) Larch
Circus Impresario Bailey Mausoleum
Considered the "King of the Circus Men", Bailey was the partner of P.T. Barnum; the pair established "The Greatest Show on Earth". The funeral was held at Bailey's home in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. Several hundred circus employees attended the service, including clowns, animal tamers, trapeze artists, and acrobats. The burial at Woodlawn was private, attended only by family.

DIANA BARRYMORE (1921-1960) Chapel Hill Oelrich Lot
Actress
The only child of the short, tempestuous marriage of actor John Barrymore to poet Blanche Oelrichs (a.k.a. Michael Strange), Barrymore studied at the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts, then began her career in summerstock and in a traveling company of Sutton Vane's Outward Bound starring Laurette Taylor. Barrymore's Broadway debut was in Romantic Mr. Dickens (1940), an eight-performance flop; roles in George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber's The Land is Bright (1941), Zoe Akins' adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca (1945), and Agatha Christie's Hidden Horizon (1946) followed. She documented her life in her autobiography Too Much, Too Soon (1957).

NORA BAYES (1880-1928) Sassafras unmarked
Performer, Composer, Vaudevillian
Born Dora Goldberg, Bayes made her Broadway debut in The Rogers Brothers in Washington (1901). In The Ziegfeld Follies of 1908, she introduced the song Shine On Harvest Moon, which she co-wrote with the second of her five husbands. In addition to being one of the highest paid performers of her time-and being a producer and owner of a theatre she named for herself-Bayes was famed for her ability to popularize a song. Indeed, George M. Cohan chose Bayes to introduce his World War I song, Over There, in The Cohan Revue of 1918. Among her other eight Broadway credits was Little Miss Fix-It (1911), Maid in America (1915), Ladies First (1918), and Queen O' Hearts (1922).

DIGBY BELL (1850-1917) Fairview William E. Webb Lot
Comedian/Opera Singer
While Bell studied to be a concert singer in Europe, he made his mark as a comedian. He first starred in the musical Jupiter (1892), and later he was the leading comedian in Lillian Russell's company appearing in Princess Nicotine and The Grand Duchess.

LAURA JOYCE BELL (1858-1904) Hillside Maskell Plot
Singer/Performer
A star of "light opera" trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Bell starred in many Gilbert and Sullivan productions including H.M.S Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. She married comic baritone Digby Bell and the pair appeared together with McCaull's Opera Comique Company. Her last Broadway performance was in Mr. Pickwick (1903).

IRENE BENTLEY (Smith) (1870-1940) Arbutus
Actress
She made her first appearance on the state at Palmer's Theatre in Little Christopher. She starred in numerous productions at the Casino, including: The Rounders, The Wild Rose, and The Mimic World. Her husband, Harry Bach Smith, wrote lyrics for the music of Victor Herbert.

IRVING BERLIN (1888-1989) Columbine
Great American Songwriter
Emigrating from Russia while still a boy, he took a job at sixteen as a singing waiter and began composing songs. He is considered one of America's greatest songwriters, his compositions include: God Bless America, Alexander's Rag Time Band, White Christmas, Puttin' on the Ritz, Easter Parade, and There's No Business Like Show Business.

AMELIA BINGHAM (1869-1927) Crown Grove North Bates Mausoleum
Actress
Born in Hicksville, Ohio, Bingham began her career on the west coast in a company headed by McKee Rankin. In 1892 she came to New York and appeared in a series of melodramas: The Struggle of Life, The Power of Gold, and A Man Among Men. She decided to become an actress-manager and her first major success was in Clyde Fitch's The Climbers (1901).

BIRLEANNA BLANKS (Cunningham) (1889-1968) Cosmos
Singer
Half American Indian and half African American, Birleana Blanks was one of the first generation of people of color in the musical comedy theatre. Before 1920, she toured the vaudeville circuit teamed with her sister as a singing and dancing act. She then sang in a whole series of musical comedies at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem beginning with Over the Top in 1919 and then in other Negro theatres in the mid 1920s. She left the music world in 1928.

McHenry Boatwright 1920-1994 Wild Rose unmarked
Singer
A baritone who appeared in opera and concerts, Boatwright performed with the New York Philharmonic, the National Negro Opera Foundation and he was a voice teacher at Ohio State University. For many years he produced the Sacred Concerts performed by the Duke Ellington Orchestra in London and New York. He was married to Ruth Ellington, the younger sister of Duke Ellington.

MARIE BONFANTI (1847- 1921) Dahlia
Dancer
As a 14-year-old, Marie made her debut as a prima ballerina italiana at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and in 1866 she danced her premiere New York performance at Niblo's Garden in The Black Crook. The White Fawn, Robinson Crusoe, Life, Donna Juanita, The Children in the Wood, Aladdin, Sardanapalus, and The Merry War and The Arabian Nights were some of her other stage vehicles. In the 1880s Marie returned to classical ballet to dance in the ballet divertissements of grand operas both at the Metropolitan Opera and in Europe. In the 1890s she opened a ballet school in New York.

MARY RHINELANDER CALLENDAR (1848-1919) Evergreen Swan Mausoleum
Promoter
She inherited a fortune from the Rhinelander family and used her wealth to promote the arts. She sponsored young women seeking musical education and became famous in the 1890's as a hostess at musicales in the Tiffany Studio building apartments where the most distinguished artists of the period appeared.

HARRY CAREY (1878-1947) Prospect Carey Family Mausoleum
Actor
Henry DeWitt Carey III was born in the Bronx, the son of a New York City judge. He joined D.W. Griffith's stock company and appeared in the early films Bill Sharkey's Last Game (1909) and The Battle of Elderbush Gulch (1913). He appeared in many John Ford westerns and teamed up with John Wayne in the classic Red River (1948). He was nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actor in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). At his funeral, Burl Ives sung a cowboy song, John Wayne recited his favorite poem, and Carey wore his cowboy boots, a black suit, and a shoestring tie. More than 1,000 persons, many of them wearing ten gallon hats, attended the service.

IRENE CASTLE (1893-1969) Parkview
VERNON CASTLE (1887-1918)
Dancers
During the jazz age, the Castles traveled the world demonstrating a new way to dance. The Fox Trot, Castle Walk and other syncopated dances became the rage as they set the style for the emerging century. Orchestra leader James Reese Europe often provided the music for the dance team as they swirled to the music of W.C. Handy and other great composers.

BOBBY CLARK (1888-1960) Rhododendron
Comedian
Bobby Clark was part of the long-famous theatrical partnership of Clark and McCullough. The comedians appeared in Music Box Revue (1924), The Ramblers (1926), Strike Up the Band (1930), and Thumbs Up! (1934). After McCullough's death in 1936, Clark appeared with The Ziegfeld Follies alongside Fanny Brice, Bea Lillie, and Melvin Cooper. In his later years he directed Michael Todd's Peep Show (1950) and joined the cast of Damn Yankees (1956).

GEORGE M. COHAN (1875-1942) Butternut Cohan Mausoleum
Performer, Writer, Composer
He started his career as a child in Vaudeville, and went on to become a leader in the American musical comedy stage. Cohan was a writer, composer, performer, producer and theatre owner, eventually known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway." His songs included You're a Grand Old Flag, Over There, Yankee Doodle Dandy and Harrigan.

THE FOUR COHANS Butternut Cohan Mausoleum
Performers, Vaudevillians
Jerry (1858-1917) and Helen Cohan (1865-1928) with their children George and Josephine (1876-1916) were known as the Four Cohans. The popular Vaudeville team toured the country and the two children went on to have successful careers in the theatre.

F. RAY COMSTOCK (1880-1949) Sassafras Comstock Mausoleum
Producer
He produced many plays with Morris Gest, presented several musical comedies at the Princess Theatre. Comstock was credited with bringing the Russian Ballet to America in the early 1900's and discovering Marion Davies, mistress of William Randolph Hearst.

RICARDO CORTEZ (1900-1977) Chapel Azalea Room
Actor
Born Jacob Krantz, the young actor moved to Hollywood during the era of Rudolph Valentino. He appeared in D.W. Griffith's Sorrows of Satan and starred opposite Greta Garbo in The Torrent. In 1931, Cortez played Sam Spade in the 1931 Maltese Falcon. Eventually he lost interest in Hollywood and returned to New York for a successful career as a stockbroker.

LOTTA CRABTREE (1847-1924) Juniper
Actress
Born in New York, the child star became famous after moving to California at the age of six. Tutored by the great Lola Montez, she learned to sing and dance and became the toast of San Francisco and the rough mining camps of California. When she began her own theatre company in 1870, she commissioned plays to be created around her child like stage personality. She became the most highly paid actress in the country. Having amassed a fortune, she retired at the age of forty-three. It is estimated that she left an estate of $4 million dollars when she died in 1924. She never married and is buried next to her mother.

ARNOLD DALY (1875-1927) Prospect unmarked Caffey Lot
Actor
Best known as the actor who brought the work of George Bernard Shaw to New York. Daly's belief in Shaw's work kept him from getting many parts. In his later years he worked for George M. Cohan starring in the role of the vagabond in The Tavern (1920). Died tragically in an apartment fire.

CHARLES DALY (1816-1899) Hawthorn
Jurist, Author
The distinguished judge was a devoted lover of theatre and often gave free counsel to actors and producers. He was the author of First Theatre in America: When was the Drama First Introduced in America? (1886), and amassed a substantial theatrical library.

LEOPOLD DAMROSCH (1833-1885) Sunnyside
Conductor, Musician
Credited as having an influential role in the founding of the New York Philharmonic and led the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera House. He is credited with bringing German opera to New York. Dr. Damrosch is at rest in a plot purchased by the Oratorio, Arion and the New York Symphony Society. In a public ceremony, the contributing organizations placed a statue of Minerva designed by Helbig of Dresden.

MILES DAVIS (1926-1991) Alpine Hill
Musician, Composer
The leader of the "Cool Jazz" movement came to New York to study at the Juilliard School of Music. He abandoned formal training for the jazz clubs and played with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1959 he released Kind Of Blue a monumental recording, which is the greatest selling jazz album of all time. On his black granite, highly polished sarcophagus, are the beginning notes of Solar from his 1954 Walkin' album. Jesse Jackson delivered the eulogy at his funeral; Bill Cosby, Herbie Hancock, and Quincy Jones also spoke at the service.

CLARENCE DAY (1874-1935) Cypress
Writer, Illustrator
Author of bestseller Life With Father, based on Day's New Yorker columns holds the record for continuous performances of a non-musical play on Broadway. Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse dramatized Day's reminiscences. The film version (1947) starred William Powell and Irene Dunne.

JEFFERSON DE ANGLEIS (1858-1933) Holly
Comedian, Performer
He made his debut in vaudeville at the age of 10, he toured the world before becoming the principal comedian with John McCaull. He starred in numerous revues but gradually turned to straight comedy. He was active in the formation of the Actors' Equity Association and was a member of the board of directors.

REGINALD DE KOVEN (1859-1920) Golden Rod
Composer
He was one of the pioneers of American operetta, best known for Robin Hood and the song Oh Promise Me. He wrote scores for many other productions and was married to Anna Farwell DeKoven, a successful novelist.

CLARENCE DERWENT (1884-1959) Oakwood
Actor
Actor known for playing important supporting roles in many plays including: The Letter of the Law, the Three Musketeers, Topaze, and Rebecca. He served two terms as President of Actors' Equity and was a longtime President of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA).

ADA "BRICKTOP" DUCONGE (1894-1984) Zinna R32 G74
Performer, Promoter, Club Owner
She began her career as a singer, but went on to be the hostess to Europe's café society during the '20s and '30s. Her jazz clubs in Paris, Rome, and Mexico City attracted such notables as Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Duconge is also credited with helping Duke Ellington to get his start in New York; "Bricktop" supported the work of numerous jazz artists for over four decades.

GUS EDWARDS (1881-1945) Holly
Composer, Actor, Director
Brooklyn-born songwriter, actor, and movie director remembered as the composer of By the Light of the Silvery Moon and School Days. As a teenager he performed in various vaudeville acts and as a young man became well known as a Tin Pan Alley composer. He emerged as a talent scout, giving early breaks to such young talents as Groucho Marx and Eddie Cantor. His grave features carved School Days depictions.

EDWARD KENNEDY "DUKE" ELLINGTON (1899-1974) Wild Rose
Composer, Jazz Legend
In 1959, Ellington purchased a large family lot in The Woodlawn Cemetery. He moved the remains of his parents from his hometown of Washington, DC to his adopted city of New York. The prolific composer and orchestra leader received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969. His compositions include: Satin Doll, Mood Indigo, and Solitude. Over 12,500 mourners attended his funeral at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Harlem. Among the performers who paid tribute at his funeral were: Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Lou Rawls, and McHenry Boatwright, who is also buried in the Ellington Lot.

CHARLES FISHER (1816-1891) Spruce
Actor
Born in England, Fisher came to America when he was enlisted by William Burton. He later joined the companies of Laura Keene, Lester Wallack, and Augustin Daly. He appeared in the productions of Masks and Faces, Rosendale, and Fritz, Our Cousin German.

CLARA FISHER (Maeder) (1811-1898) Elm
Actress
She was a London born child prodigy who began performing at the age of six. In 1827 she made her debut in New York and was a sensation. In her later years she appeared with various stock companies, including those of Augustin Daly.

CLYDE FITCH (1865-1909) Wintergreen
Playwright
Fitch arrived New York after graduating Amherst College. His father, a Civil War veteran, gave him three years to succeed as a playwright, and as that period wound down, Edward A. Dithmar, theatre critic of The New York Times, introduced him to Richard Mansfield, the great actor of the fin de siecle, who hired Fitch to write Beau Brummell (1890), which became his signature role. Over the next 19 years, Fitch wrote 62 plays, including Nathan Hale (1898), Barbara Frietchie (1899), Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines (1900), The Climbers (1903), The Truth (1906), and The City (1909). He died in France after complications from appendicitis. His mother contracted Hunt & Hunt to design his tomb, a replica of that of a Russian princess in Pere LaChaise.

SAMUEL FORREST (1870-1944) Dahlia
Actor, Director
His directing debut was Booth Tarkington's Springtime. He staged over 100 plays, mainly for the production team of Sam Harris and George M. Cohan. Productions included: On Trial, The Great Lover, Icebound, and The Return of the Vagabond.

LOUELLA GEAR (1899-1980) Hemlock
Actress
For many decades, the notable New Yorker brought her acid, knowing style of comedy to roles in: The Gold Diggers, Life Begins at 8:40, Gay Divorce, and Sabrina Fair.

AUGUST GERMUNDER (1814-1895) Hillside
Violin Maker
German violin manufacturer who discovered the Italian secret of the construction of violins. He claimed, "If old wood was used in making violins, and the proper construction was followed, a violinist might have a better instrument." He made instruments for Leopold Damrosch and other well-known performers. A granite violin marks his grave.

CLEMENTE GIGLIO (1886-1941) Wild Rose
"Italian Impresario"
In his early career, Giglio produced Italian plays at the Tony Pastor Theatre. In the 1930's his works were staged at the Venice Theatre. Among those productions were an Italian version of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Mother Martyr and Maria Rosa. In the early 1940's he hosted first run Italian movies at the Irving Palace Theatre.

CHARLES GILPIN (1878-1930) Canna unmarked
Actor
After touring for many years with black companies, Gilpin settled in Harlem as director of the Lafayette Theatre. His performance on Broadway in Abraham Lincoln prompted Eugene O'Neill to cast him as Brutus Jones in The Emperor Jones. Moss Hart said of Gilpin: "He was the greatest actor of his race."

MONTAGUE GLASS (1877-1934) Rose Hill
Writer
He began his career writing for magazines, his tales of Jewish business partners Potash and Perlmutter were turned into plays through collaborators Charles Klein and Roi Cooper Megrue and Eckert Goodman.

WILLIAM "SONNY" GREER (1903-1982) Zinnia R 35 G 99
Musician
This innovative drummer came to New York from Washington, DC with his friend "Duke" Ellington at the age of nineteen. He played with the Duke Ellington orchestra for thirty years; in his autobiography Ellington wrote, "He was not the world's best reader of music, he was the world's best percussionist reactor." Greer was known for his experimental use of cymbals, bells, and chimes.

HERBERT GRESHAM (1852-1921) Honeysuckle R25 Gr197
Actor, Director
He created the role of villainous Marquis de Baccarat in Adonis, and later joined the company of Augustin Daly. He was also known for his performances as Touchstone in As You Like It and the Clown in Twelfth Night. He directed many productions; the last years of his career were spent as the stage director for A.L. Erlanger.

JOSEPH GRISMER (1849-1922) Highland Grismer Mausoleum
Actor, Manager
He started out as an actor with the Grand Opera House in Cincinnati, and after years in New York he became involved in Writing, directing and producing. His collaborations included: A Gay Deceiver, Way Down East (Annie Laurie) and works with William A. Brady As Ye Sow, The Man of the Hour. He was twice elected the Shepherd of the Lambs. Grismer was struck by car on Broadway and 108th street.

LAWRENCE GROSSMITH (1877-1944) Park View Castle Lot
Actor
The last of a prominent British stage family, he appeared in several Sherlock Holmes pictures and was the brother-in-law of Vernon Castle. He was best known for his smooth performances in drawing room and musical comedies including About Town, Nobody Home, and Call it a Day.

ARCHIBALD GUNTER (1847-1907) Cherry
Author, Playwright
He started his career as a civil engineer with the Central Pacific Railroad. His first play Found a New Vein dealt with life in a mining camp. His plays were often adapted from his novels and include: Two Nights in Rome, Mr. Barnes of New York, and Mr. Potter of Texas.

JAMES HACKETT (1869-1926) Myosotis
Actor
He joined Augustin Daly's ensemble in 1892, and became best known for the role of Rudolph in The Prisoner of Zenda. His $1,000,000 estate established the Hackett Endowment Fund, which was to be used to support the Actor's Home in Staten Island. He also left money to be used for the libraries of the Players' Club, The Lamb's, and Actors' Equity.

ARTHUR HAMMERSTEIN (1872-1955) Golden Rod
Producer
He began his theatrical career as his father's assistant and became a producer when he was handed the Naughty Marietta. Other notable productions included: The Firefly, Wildflower, and Sweet Adeline. He built the Hammerstein Theatre.

OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN I (1847-1919) Golden Rod
Builder, Producer
After coming to America in 1863, he started his career as the manager of the Stadt Theatre. In 1889 he built the Harlem Opera House; he went on to build the Columbus, the Victoria, the Manhattan, the Olympia, and the Republic Theatres. Although active in Theatre, his obsession was opera.

WILLIAM HAMMERSTEIN (1874-1914) Holly
Second son of Oscar Hammerstein I was the manager of the Victoria Theatre and Roof Garden. He was little known by the public as he never posed for a photograph and always instructed press agents not to put his name in the newspapers. He was considered a leader in obtaining novel attractions. Among the stars he brought to the vaudeville stage were: Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, Gertrude Hoffman, Lady Constance Stewart and Sober Sue, the girl who never smiled.

LIONEL HAMPTON (1908-2002) Fir unmarked
Musician, Composer
The "King of the Vibes" was a composer, bandleader, and great philanthropist. He broke racial barriers playing with the Benny Goodman band and went on to make groundbreaking performances with Benny Carter and Louis Armstrong. His recording, Flying Home is considered one of the most influential recordings in American musical history. A traditional jazz band led by Wynton Marsalis followed the hearse as the funeral procession went from the Cotton Club to Riverside Church in Harlem. Former President Bush gave the eulogy at the service.

WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER HANDY (1873-1958) Cosmos
Composer, Musician
W.C. Handy, "The Father of the Blues" was born in Florence, Alabama and rose to fame when his songs were published and played across America. His signature song, St. Louis Blues is inscribed on his grave; he is also know for writing the Beale Street Blues and the Memphis Blues, the theme song for the dance team of Irene and Vernon Castle. Louis Armstrong paid homage to Handy when he recorded his classic tribute album in 1954. Ed Sullivan spoke at his funeral and Cootie Williams played the trumpet. Honorary pallbearers included Governor Averell Harriman, Mayor Robert Wagner, and Dr. Channing Tobias, Chairman of the NAACP.

EDWARD HARRIGAN (1844-1911) Heather
Comedian, Performer, Writer, Producer
"Ned" Harrigan was half the team of Harrigan and Hart, known for the productions of The Mayor and The Mulligan Guards Ball. They built the Theatre Comique, and after the theatre was destroyed by fire, they took their traditional Irish humor, filled with "street smarts" on the road. He was called the "Hogarth and Dickens of 19th Century American Theatre."

SAM HARRIS (1872-1941) Butternut Harris Mausoleum
Producer
The native New Yorker started out managing fights and then became involved in producing burlesque shows. In 1904 he met George M. Cohan and the two became partners and worked together for sixteen years. Among their successes were: Little Johnny Jones, Forty Five Minutes from Broadway, The Man Who Owns Broadway, The Great Lover and The Royal Vagabond. He built the music box theatre with Irving Berlin, and also managed the Harris Theatres in Chicago and New York.

COLEMAN HAWKINS (1904-1969) Yew
Musician
Credited as the jazz pioneer that turned a comic saxophone into a romantic horn, Hawkins played with the Fletcher Henderson orchestra, when he first came to New York. The Missouri native is best remembered for his classic 1939 recording Body and Soul. His funeral was held at the St. Peter's Lutheran Church, known as the "Jazz Church" to the music community.

ALF HAYMAN (1865-1921) Fairview
Theatre Manager
Associate of Charles Froham, and eventual head of the Frohman Company, Hayman was known primarily as a businessman. He produced several notable plays including: Dear Brutus, Mary Rose and Declassee. At the time of his death, he was working with the Barrymores on Clair de Lune.

HILDA HAYNES (1912-1986) Iris
Actress
She got her start with the American Negro Theater in the 1940's and from there went on to appear in many theatrical productions. She appeared in several films including Taxi (1953), Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970), and The River Niger (1976). During the 1980's she played parts on many television shows including Trapper John M.D., Dynasty, The Jeffersons and Sanford and Son.

JOHN EDWARD HAZZARD (1888-1935) Filbert
Actor, Writer
A familiar figure on Broadway, Hazzard starred in musical comedies, light opera and Gilbert and Sullivan plays. He was co-author of Turn to the Right one of the most successful comedies ever produced.

VICTOR HERBERT (1859-1924) Whitewood
Composer
Herbert was the most successful and acclaimed writer of light opera. His productions include : Babes in Toyland, Kiss Me Again, and Naughty Marietta. His song March of the Toys ia among his most familiar melodies. He was one of the organizers off ASCAP, which he was moved to found after hearing his music played in restaurants without receiving any royalties. He was a member of the Lambs and Friars.

ADELAIDE HERRMANN (1854-1932) Oak Hill
Magician
Known as "The Queen of Magic", Adelaide Herrmann worked for years as her husband's assistant and then continued to tour as a lead act following his death in 1896. She was one of the few women to perform the "bullet catching" trick.

ALEXANDER HERRMANN (1844-1896) Oak Hill
Magician
He was raised in a family of magicians and was billed as "Herrmann the Great". In his early years he became famous with the "Floating Boy" trick. He was not a "mystical" magician and through his humorous performances often debunked his own tricks.

WILLIAM HOEY (1955-1897) Hemlock
Actor, Comedian
Known as "Old Hoss", Hoey was a successful Vaudevillian. He partnered with Charles Evans and they first appeared in A Parlor Match. His inventions of traps and other mechanisms allowed him to be "thrown around the stage,"

MILT JACKSON (1923-1999) Brookside Mausoleum Terrace #8
Musician, Composer
Milt Jackson was one of the co-founders of the famous Modern Jazz Quartet whose popularity Jackson attributed to "an uncanny ability to take classical music and improvise on it, integrating it with jazz and pop." An accomplished vibraphonist, Jackson played with many of the Jazz greats including: Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Coleman Hawkins.

Hall Johnson (1887-1970) Summit Plot R2 G50
Best known as a composer and conductor, Johnson began his career as a violinist with James Reese Europe's orchestra. He founded the Hall Johnson Negro Choir to "show how the American Negro slaves - in 250 years of constant practice, self-developed under pressure but equipped with their inborn sense of rhythm and drama -created, propagated and illuminated an art-form which was, and still is, unique in the world of music." In 1925 his choir made notable appearances in the all black productions of Green Pastures and Lost Horizons.

BILLY JONES (1889-1940) Hemlock
Radio Performer
He was part of the early radio team known as "The Happiness Boys". With his partner Ernie Hare, they produced advertisements for Standard Oil, Gillette Safety Razors and Taystee Bread. They were famous for their song Does the Spearmint Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost at Night?

AUGUSTUS JUILLIARD (1843-1919) Sassafras Juilliard Mausoleum
Patron
Augustus Juilliard was the head of a dry goods company for many years and eventually became involved in banking, railroads and insurance interests. He was President of the Metropolitan Opera, and was associated with several other cultural institutions. His will provided over $5,000,000 for the establishment of the Juilliard Musical Foundation, for the purpose of providing musical education to all "worthy students".

GREGORY KELLY (1891-1927) Arbutus
Actor
A native New Yorker who performed in stock with his wife Ruth Gordon. He won rave notices as Willie Baxter in Seventeen, and as Peter Jones in The Butter and Egg Man. Among the theatrical delegation attending his funeral was Ethel Barrymore. Irving Berlin and Harpo Marx sent floral tributes.

MOLLIE KING (1898-1981) Butternut
Actress
Silent film actress and Broadway performer often performed with her very successful brother, actor Charles King. She married a wealthy Kentucky distiller and horse breeder, Kenneth Alexander and later married Thomas Claffey.

ANTON KLIEGL (1872-1927) Golden Rod
Lighting Inventory
President of the Kliegl Brother Universal State Lighting Company, he was credited with developing lighting equipment that had a great impact on the motion picture industry and the theatre. He created many special effects including the sandstorm for the Frohman production of Under Two Flags, and the sunrise and twilight for Madame Butterfly. He is best known for the invention of the "Klieg Light".

FRITZ KREISLER (1875-1962) Butternut
Violinist, Composer
Known as the "Violinist's violinist", he began his career at age 13 and was considered a child genius. He played to packed crowds all over the world, and composed numerous works that received critical acclaim. Kreisler was extremely generous to charities and established a foundation for the teaching of music to children. He is entombed in the mausoleum of his wife's parents.

CANADA LEE (Leonard Canegata) (1907-1952) Cosmos
Actor
He started out as a bandleader, boxer and jockey before turning to theatre. Lee worked primarily with black production troops and then in 1941 he received great acclaim for his role in Native Son . In addition to appearing on stage, he starred in the film Cry the Beloved Country. One of his last appearances was at a funding raising production for the NAACP.

WILLIAM LEMOYNE (1830-1905) Fern
Actor
Civil War Veteran and Massachusetts native, LeMoyne spent sixty of his years as an actor. He toured the northeast in the companies of Booth, Forrest and Fechter. He played "every role in Hamlet" and at the time of his retirement appeared in Don Caesar's Return with James Hackett.

ETHEL LEVEY (1881-1955) Webster
Dancer, Performer
Although she appeared in numerous theatre revues, Ethel Levey was best known as the first wife of George M. Cohan. From 1901 to 1907 she appeared in several Cohan productions including Little Johnny Jones and Running for Office. She performed on European stages and traveled all across America.

JAMES LEWIS (1838-1896) Sunnyside
Comedian
Although he started out in burlesque at the Olympic Theatre, like many talents of his time he went on to join Augustin Daly's productions. Lewis became a primary in the Daly shows appearing in Divorce, Saratoga, and As You Like It. All the members of the Daly company attended the funeral at Woodlawn, the ribbon adorning the palm leaves and flowers sent by Daly were inscribed "In Dear Remembrance of a Loyal Heart and Most Valiant Artist."

SAM LEWIS (1883-1959) Alpine
Composer
A large heart shaped memorial pays tribute to the man who wrote such classic songs as Mammy, In a Little Spanish Town, Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue and Sittin' On Top of the World. His composition Dinah became a signature song for vibraphonist Lionel Hampton.

JACOB LITT (1860-1905) Litt Mausoleum
Larch Theatre Owner
A Milwaukee native, he began his career as a program boy in the Grand Opera House, eventually becoming the treasurer. Gradually, he became involved in the management and eventual ownership of theatres. He moved to New York in 1899, became involved with A.W. Dingwall and with him managed the productions of Ben Hur and Beauty and the Beast.

GUSTAVE LUDERS (1865-1913) Aster
Theatre Conductor, Composer
The majority of his tunes were written for a "small, clear, and sweet musical voice." His compositions include: King Dodo, The Princes of Pilson, and Somewhere Else.

FRED MAEDER (1840-1891) Elm
Actor
He was the son of popular actress, Clara Fisher. He was a good eccentric actor and he performed in numerous productions, including: Help, Lola, Red Riding Hood, and The Drunkard's Wife . He is buried in a family plot with his mother.

ALICE MANELICK (Flagler) (1875-1918) Whitewood Flagler Mausoleum
Singer
Alice Manelick was a famous contralto before her marriage to John Haldane Flagler, the founder of the National Tube Company, which was later merged into U.S. Steel. It is said that she won her husband's affections by her rendering of the "Flower Song" from Faust. At the time of their marriage he was over fifty and she was twenty-two; he was worth more than $22m. At her funeral the Governor was a pallbearer. Convicts at Sing Sing sent a floral tribute.

J. HARTLEY MANNERS (1870-1928) Butternut unmarked
Actor, Playwright
He began on Broadway with a modest success, Zira, which he co-wrote with Henry Miller. His biggest success was the play Peg O' My Heart that starred his wife Laurette Taylor. His other works included: Out There, Happiness, One Night in Rome and The National Anthem.

ELISABETH MARBURY (1856-1933) Prospect
Agent
She was the daughter of a prominent New York attorney and early in her career she was encouraged by Daniel Frohman to become a literary agent. Her client list included: Oscar Wilde, Somerset Maugham, Sir James Barrie, Clyde Fitch, and Jerome Kern. She is credited as being the first agent to negotiate a percentage of the box office proceeds for her clients. She was very involved in politics and the Democratic National Committee; Eleanor Roosevelt attended her funeral.

QUEENA MARIO (Tillotson) (1891-1951) Syringa
Opera Singer, Voice Coach
A renowned opera singer and voice coach, Queena Mario made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1922. During the later part of her opera career and thereafter, she became one of the nation' s premier voice teachers. In 1934, despite the demands of her opera and teaching careers, she began a successful writing career: this time as a writer of mystery fiction. Her characters in books like Murder Meets Mephisto were opera performers and their entourages and her backgrounds were opera and opera houses.

DEWEY "Pigmeat" MARKHAM (1904- 1981) VanCorlandt Mausoleum Oak Court
Vaudevillian, Comedian
Best remembered for his "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In" television skit, Here Come the Judge, he was listed by Langston Hughes and Milton Meltzer as one of the "Golden Dozen" of black comics.

JOHNNY D. MARKS (1909-1985) Columbine
Composer Unmarked
Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Marks started writing songs at age 13. His biggest his was the holiday classic, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". He wrote all the music for the beloved Rudolph holiday television special featuring Burl Ives singing "Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Silver and Gold". Known primarily for his Christmas classics which include "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree".

MARTHA (Erlich) MANSFIELD (1899-1923) Myosotis
Actress
Born in New York, she was a Ziegfeld girl and then went to Hollywood appearing opposite John Barrymore in Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1920). Her life came to a tragic end when a burning cigarette caught her hoop skirt on fire when on location filming The Warrens of Virginia.

FREDERIC MARSDEN (1843-1888) Linden
Playwright
Among his familiar plays were: Zara, The Irish Minstrel, Quacks, and Musette. Tragically, Marsden committed suicide after a quarrel with his daughter.

ROI COOPER MEGRUE (1883-1927) Crown Grove North
Playwright
He began his career as an assistant to agent, Elisabeth Marbury. His early plays included: Under Cover, It pays To Advertise, and Potash and Perlmutter in Society. He directed the first Pulitzer Prize winning play, Why Marry? which he also co-produced.

GILBERT MILLER (1884-1969) Whitewood
Producer
He was the son of Henry Miller and Bijou Heron, and was raised and educated in Europe. After arriving in New York, he produced numerous successful plays including: Berkeley Square, Journey's End and Anthony and Cleopatra with Sir Lawrence Olivier and Vivian Leigh. He was a director of the League of New York Theatres and a officer of the Actors Fund. At the time of his death he was married to Kathryn Bache, the daughter of financier and art collector Jules Bache.

MARILYN MILLER (O'Brien) (1898 - 1936) Heather
Singer, Dancer, Actress, Performer
Marilyn Miller, who was best known as a musical comedy actress, made her stage debut at the age of four when she joined the family Vaudeville act, "The Columbian Trio." She was "discovered" at a London nightclub in 1913 by Lee Shubert and appeared in The Passing Show of 1914. From the first, the beautiful golden haired Miller "brought dreams of youth and beauty into the dusty hearts of millions." She then came under the management of Florenz Ziegfeld who headlined her in his Follies of 1918 and Sally in which she stopped the show with "Look for the Silver Lining." During the twenties she headlined in a number of blockbuster musical comedies including Rosalie, Smiles, and As Thousands Cheer. She starred in three movies in the late twenties and brought to them the same freshness, flair and opulence she brought to the stage. She died at age 36 six of an infection that began in her sinuses.

FLORENCE MILLS (1895-1927) Arbutus
Performer, Dancer
The "Blackbird of Harlem" died in 1927 after complications with appendicitis. As an entertainer she was considered to be the first black female star to win international acclaim. She was a dancer, singer and a major performer the height of the Harlem Renaissance. More than 5,000 people attended her funeral; over 150,000 lined the streets in tribute as the procession went to Woodlawn. Duke Ellington wrote his classic Black Beauty as a tribute to Mills.

DAVID C. MONTGOMERY (1870-1917) Highland
Comedian
The team of Montgomery and Stone got there start in Galveston, Texas and gradually moved through the south until they debuted at Hammerstein's in 1900. Their first great success was in the Wizard of Oz in 1903; they went on to star in The Lady of the Slipper and Chin-Chin in 1914.

FRANK MUNN (1894-1953) Oakwood
Singer
"The Golden Voice of Radio", was a popular Irish tenor who devoted himself exclusively to singing on radio and recordings. He made his debut in 1923 on the "Brunswick Hour of Music", ad then appeared on the "Palmolive Hour." He is best remembered for his work on the "American Album of the Air" and "Waltz Time".

JOHN NEAFIE (1815-1945) Catalpa
Actor
Neafie began his career playing as Othello at the Park Theatre in 1938. He eventually played Shylock and Richard III. He toured with Edwin Forrest, and although he was a native New Yorker, he spent most of his career touring the South and the West.

HAROLD NICHOLAS (1921-2000) Alpine unmarked
Dancer
One of the tap dancing Nicholas Brothers, he starred in vaudeville productions and went on to dance for Ziegfeld on Broadway. Eventually the brothers went on to perform their dazzling dance routines in the classic movie musicals of the 1940' s. As with many of the performers of the era, it was Nicholas' request to be buried close to the great Duke Ellington.

CHAUNCEY OLCOTT (1860-1932) Hickory Knoll
Irish Tenor
Olcott was an actor but is best remembered for his singing. When he first arrived in New York in 1886m, he made his debut at the Union SquareTheatre. He wrote the classic Irish ballad, My Wild Irish Rose and is also credited with helping to compose When Irish Eyes are Smiling.

JOSEPH "KING" OLIVER (1885-1938) Salvia R16 G66
Composer, Musician, Band Leader
The leader of King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band served as a mentor to Louis Armstrong and is credited with giving the young musician his first coronet. He began his career in New Orleans, toured his band to Chicago and eventually traveled to New York. He recorded duets with pianist Jelly Roll Morton and is considered one of early pioneers of jazz music. In 1994 a New Jersey Jazz Society erected a marker on the grave of King Oliver.

FELIX PAPPALARDI (1942-1983) Cliff Plot
Musician, Producer, Manager
He began his career in rock music as the bassist for the group Mountain, best known for their hit "Mississippi Queen". He later went on to produce the rock band Cream, and co-wrote "Strange Brew" with Eric Clapton.

PERRY, ANTOINETTE "TONI" (Freueauff) (1888-1946) Hickory Knoll
Actress, Producer, Director
Tony Perry first won fame as an actress in her native Denver, but retired from the stage during the years of a happy marriage. She returned to the stage upon the death of her husband in 1922, and later enjoyed success as a Broadway producer and director. In 1947, in commemoration of her service, the American Theatre Wing inaugurated its annual presentation of "Tony's" for Broadway performances, staging, directing and other achievement.

AUGUSTUS PITOU (1843-1915) Linden
Manager, Agent
He began his career as an actor, with a minor role in Edwin Booth's Hamlet. The theatres in his care included: The Fifth Avenue and Booth Theatres and the Grand Opera House. He was involved in the careers of: Chauncey Olcott, Rose Coghlan, and W.J. Scanlan.

FREDERICK PROCTOR (1851-1929) Chestnut
Theater Owner
Known as the "Dean of Vaudeville", Proctor founded a chain of theaters, which he sold a month before his death for an estimated $16,000,000. Born in Maine, as a young man he became known for his athletic ability; at a young age he joined the circus as an equilibrist. After touring the world, Proctor returned to New York in 1886 and began to acquire theaters throughout the state. Among his honorary pallbearers was George M. Cohan.

ROLAND REED (1850-1908) Cherry
He first appeared on stage in Philadelphia at the age of six months in the old time farce Mr. and Mrs.Peter White. He performed with all the greats of early theater including Lotta Crabtree. He created the character of Koko in the American production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado.

BENJAMIN RUCKER (1892-1934) Honeysuckle R18 G194 unmarked
Magician
Known to audiences as "Black Herman", this traveling magician used a combination of medicine show techniques and vaudeville skills to develop a successful act. He was best known for his "Buried Alive" trick where he would hypnotize women and then place them in the ground for six hours. Eventually he would perform the trick on himself and sell tickets for the public to view his "private graveyard" prior to his theater performance.

DAMON RUNYON (1884-1946) Alpine Hill
Writer
Known for his short stories about life on Broadway, Runyon wrote about gangsters, chorus girls, gamblers and crime. A collection of his stories became the classic work Guys and Dolls. Runyon bought the Woodlawn Lot for his wife when she died in 1931. He requested that his ashes be "scattered over Manhattan, the place that I have truly loved and that was so good to me." His friend Captain Eddie Rickenbacker fulfilled his wished and dipped the wing of the plane when he flew over Woodlawn Cemetery prior to spreading the ashes along Broadway.

BERT SAVOY (1888 -1923)
One of the greatest female impersonators in vaudeville, Savoy always referred to men as "she," and in an age when questions of gender identity were unexplored, he was as effeminate offstage as on. Onstage Savoy's drag persona was as outrageous as possible. She flirted outrageously, swung her hips and titillated the audience with talk not heard in the proper precincts of the early twentieth century home. Drag lore has it that Mae West borrowed Savoy' s walk and manner. At the height of his fame, Savoy was killed by lightning in an accident on the beach in Long Beach, L.I.. It is said that immediately before being struck, Savoy heard thunder and exclaimed to his companions, "Mercy, ain' t Miss God cuttin' up something awful!"

CAROLINE SIEDLE (1859-1908) Dogwood
Costume Designer
At the time of her death, this well known designer was the property master at the Metropolitan Opera House. She had designed costumes for many musical comedies including: The Parisian Model, Dream City, Babes in Toyland, and The Wizard of Oz.

KARL STRUSS (1891-1981) Hickory Knoll unmarked
Cinematographer
Cinematographer who developed a special filter technique to change facial appearance without stopping motion. This revolutionary technique was used in both Ben Hur (1926) and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1931). He was co-winner of the first Oscar for cinematography for the film Sunrise (1927).

LAURETTE (Manners) TAYLOR (1884 - 1946) Clover unmarked
Actress
As a teenager, Laurette Cooney made her stage debut in Vaudeville. In 1901, after her marriage to Charles Taylor, she played in a series of melodramas he had written for her, but she did not become a star until she triumphed in a supporting role in Alias Jimmy Valentine (1910) written by Hartley Manners. After appearing in a number of other Manners' plays, she made theatrical history in Peg O' My Heart, which Manners wrote for her as a betrothal present. She triumphed as Amanda Wingfield in the original production of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.

OLIVE THOMAS (Pickford) (1898 - 1920) Wintergreen
Actress
Olive burst on the New York scene when she won a "Most Beautiful Girl in New York" contest sponsored by the famous illustrator Howard Chandler Christy. A partner of Christy, Harrison Fisher, recommended her to Florenz Ziegfeld, who launched her career as a Follies beauty. In 1916, she married Jack Pickford, silent film star and brother of Mary Pickford. While on a second honeymoon in Paris, Olive Thomas mistakenly drank mercury biochloride and died five days later. Pickford went on to marry stage star Marilyn Miller who is also buried at Woodlawn. Pickford died in 1927 and is buried in California.

WOODMAN THOMPSON (1890-1955) Hazel
Stage Designer
A leading stage designer who worked on over seventy shows, served as the scenic director for several theatre groups including the Theatre Guild, the Actors' Theatre and the Equity Theatre. He taught design at the School of Dramatic Arts at Columbia and was best known for the shows Smilin' Through and The Warrior Husband
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"BERT" EGBERT WILLIAMS (1873-1922) Syringa
Comedian, Vaudevillian
He made American stage history as the first major black performer on Broadway. Born on the island of Antigua, Williams came to New York in 1896 brought his vaudeville act to New York. As a singer he gained great fame with the Ziegfeld Follies. He traveled to Europe with his successful shows and opened doors for many future entertainers.

CHARLES "COOTIE" WILLIAMS (1908-1985) Alpine Plot
Musician, Composer
Considered one of the great jazz trumpet players, Williams was known for his "growling, muted horn", and played primarily with the Duke Ellington orchestra. When he came to New York he started out with the Chick Webb orchestra, then he took a job with Ellington. He moved on to join the Benny Goodman orchestra and was with that band at the time of the historic Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert. William co-wrote the jazz classic, "Round Midnight" with Thelonius Monk.

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