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Lena Horne

American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Born June 30, 1917, Brooklyn, New York, USA – died May 9, 2010, Manhattan, New York, USA. She was secretly married to musical director and composer [a301381] in 1947, but because of the delicate politics of the interracial match led the couple to move to Paris for a while, and they avoided publicly announcing the marriage for three years. In 1942, she became the first African-American performer to be put under contract by a major studio. She fought with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt to pass anti-lynching laws. The combination of Horne’s disarming talent and fierce individuality created a powerful force in breaking down racial barriers in Hollywood and beyond.