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Hollywood Forever.
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A guide to 18 of Hollywood Forever’s most famous residents

From Jayne Mansfield to Bugsy Siegel

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Hollywood Forever.
| Shutterstock

For those looking to shake up their Halloween routine, may we suggest a leisurely cemetery tour. While all of LA’s graveyards have their fair share of celebs interred, Hollywood Forever Cemetery really takes the cake in terms of diversity of the deceased.

Figures who molded and shaped Los Angeles as we know it today—Los Angeles Times publisher and real estate investor Harry Chandler; Griffith J. Griffith, who gave the land that would become Griffith Park to the city—rest eternally alongside famous movie people without whom Hollywood would have surely suffered, like epic-movie-maker Cecil B. DeMille, and rock royalty, like Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone.

This guide to the gravestones was compiled with a lot of help from Hollywood Forever’s own grave guide, which gives information on burial locations down to the plot number.

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Harry Chandler

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Chandler married Harrison Gray Otis' daughter and later took over as publisher of the LA Times. His major real estate investments played an enormous role in shaping LA as we know it today. [Image via Wildhartlivie]

A light grey gravestone with letters that reads Harry Chandler and Marian Otis Chandler.

Harrison Gray Otis

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The man without whom the LA Times probably wouldn't exist. Editor and publisher of the LA Times for nearly three decades. Known for his conservative politics, he's part of why the LA Times building was targeted by union activists who blew it up in 1910. [Image via Swampyank]

A dark grey gravestone in Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words on the gravestone read Harrison Gary Otis and Sally Foster Otis.

Griffith J. Griffith

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The man responsible for donating the land that is now Griffith Park, and leaving behind the money to build the Greek Theatre and the Griffith Observatory. He had a run-in with the law after he shot his wife in the face (he says it was an accident) and served two years in San Quentin. A very cool obelisk marks his grave.

An aerial view of the Hollywood Forever cemetery. There is a red arrow pointing to a large gravestone which is numbered with the number three. There are trees on the perimeter of the cemetery.

Hobart J. Whitley

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This native Canadian's gravestone calls him the "Father of Hollywood," as he named the place while honeymooning with his wife. He also helped develop Reseda and Van Nuys. Whitley Heights is named for him.

An aerial view of the Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles. There is a red arrow pointing to a gravestone which is numbered with the number four. There are trees and grass.

Cecil B. DeMille

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When he wasn't building Egyptian cities in the dunes or giving entire homes as wedding presents, DeMille directed over 50 films, silent and with sound, including The Ten Commandments and Cleopatra. [Image via Wildhartlivie]

A group of gravestones in the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words in the center of the group of gravestones read DeMille

Rudolph Valentino

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The handsome silent film star died young (only 31!), crushing the hopes and dreams of droves of young women who loved the actor from afar. According to a cemetery tour guide, Valentino's grave is still, to this day, "the most celebrated, visited and talked-about." [Image via Alan Light]

The interior of a mausoleum in the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The walls and grave site are marble. There is a brown plaque on the wall with words that read Rodolfo Guglielmi Valentino. There are flowers in vases on a shelf under the plaque.

Douglas Fairbanks

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The silent film actor who was often seen with a crazy mustache was a founding member of United Artists and the Motion Picture Academy of the Arts. He was married to Mary Pickford. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department]

In the foreground is a small body of water. In the distance is a large white grave with a black crest symbol on its exterior.

Mel Blanc

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Blanc voiced dozens of Warner Brothers cartoon characters from Bugs Bunny to the Tasmanian Devil. His tombstone is inscribed, "That's All Folks." [Image via Robert A. Estremo]

A grey gravestone in the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words on the gravestone read That’s all folks, Mel Blanc, man of 1000 voices beloved husband and father 1908-1989

Peter Lorre

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Lorre gained fame through his work in the films The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department

A pink marble gravestone. There are two plaques on the gravestone with words that read Peter Lorre 1904-1964 and Anne Marie Lorre 1922-1971.

Jayne Mansfield

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Platinum-blonde Mansfield was a sex symbol whom some called "the working man's Monroe," as she was definitely a rival of Marilyn Monroe. She died at just 34 in a tragic car accident. Her gravemarker here is more of a memorial; she's actually buried in Pennsylvania. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department]

A brown and white gravestone in the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words on the gravestone read Jayne Mansfield 1938-1967 We live to love you more each day.

Hattie McDaniel

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McDaniel worked in both radio and film and has stars on the Walk of Fame for both. She won an Academy Award for her role in Gone With The Wind, and was the first African-American to be awarded the honor. She was supposed to be buried here but due to prevailing segregation rules at the cemetery, was actually interred elsewhere. This marker was added in the late ’90s. [Image via Wildhartlivie]

A gravestone with words that read: Hattie McDaniel academy award Gone with the Wind.

Johnny Ramone

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The clear winner of the unofficial award for best gravemarker in the entire cemetery (and maybe all of LA) is this leather-jacketed rocker who was a founding member of the punk bank The Ramones. [Image via Wikimedia]

A monument statue at the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The statue is of Johnny Ramone who is dressed in a leather jacket and jeans. He is playing a metallic silver guitar.

Dee Dee Ramone

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Dee Dee was a founding member of the Ramones, and also wrote songs and played bass for the group. Some of the Ramones best jams were penned by Dee Dee, including "53rd & 3rd" and "Rockaway Beach." [Image via Sean Russell]

A black gravestone in front of a tree. The words on the gravestone read Douglas Glenn Colvin, Dee Dee Ramone, O.k...I gotta go now. There is grass and other gravestones surrounding this gravestone.

Bugsy Siegel

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This gangster was also an early Las Vegas developer. He was fatally shot in his girlfriend's house when he was just 41. [Image via Gedstrom]

The inside of a mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever cemetery. There is a plaque on the wall that is brown and reads: In loving memory from the family, Benjamin Siegel. There are flowers in vases on a shelf in front of the plaque. There are lipstick kiss ma

Tyrone Power

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From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power starred in scads of films including The Mask of Zorro and Prince of Foxes. Later in his career, he took on more serious, weighty roles like in Witness for the Prosecution, in which he played a man accused of murder.

An above ground gravesite. The stone coffin has a sign that reads Tyrone Power. There is a decorative flower display in front of the gravesite.

Vampira (Maila Nurmi)

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The original Vampira, Nurmi was an aspiring actress who "made it" doing a late-night TV show as the creepy character. She was also in Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space. Admirers still leave plastic fangs on her grave sometimes. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department]

A grey gravestone. The words Maila Nurmi Vampira Hollywood Legend are written on the gravestone. There is a drawing of Vampira next to the words. There are two plastic models of fangs sitting against the gravestone. The gravestone is surrounded by plants

Marion Davies

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Davies is best remembered as William Randolph Hearst's mistress, but she was also an actress and producer, and began her career on Broadway. She also had a fair amount of money on her own; when Hearst's company was failing in the late Thirties, she wrote him a million-dollar check to get out of debt.

An aerial view of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. There is a red arrow pointing to a number 17 which is the gravesite of Marion Davies.

John Huston

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A director who wrote scripts for many of the epics he produced, Huston's big work like The Treasure of Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, and The African Queen garnered him 15 Oscar nominations. (He won twice.) [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department]

A grey headstone in Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words on the headstone read: John Huston, beloved mother Rhea Huston. There is a bottle of liquor sitting against the headstone.

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Harry Chandler

Chandler married Harrison Gray Otis' daughter and later took over as publisher of the LA Times. His major real estate investments played an enormous role in shaping LA as we know it today. [Image via Wildhartlivie]

A light grey gravestone with letters that reads Harry Chandler and Marian Otis Chandler.

Harrison Gray Otis

The man without whom the LA Times probably wouldn't exist. Editor and publisher of the LA Times for nearly three decades. Known for his conservative politics, he's part of why the LA Times building was targeted by union activists who blew it up in 1910. [Image via Swampyank]

A dark grey gravestone in Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words on the gravestone read Harrison Gary Otis and Sally Foster Otis.

Griffith J. Griffith

The man responsible for donating the land that is now Griffith Park, and leaving behind the money to build the Greek Theatre and the Griffith Observatory. He had a run-in with the law after he shot his wife in the face (he says it was an accident) and served two years in San Quentin. A very cool obelisk marks his grave.

An aerial view of the Hollywood Forever cemetery. There is a red arrow pointing to a large gravestone which is numbered with the number three. There are trees on the perimeter of the cemetery.

Hobart J. Whitley

This native Canadian's gravestone calls him the "Father of Hollywood," as he named the place while honeymooning with his wife. He also helped develop Reseda and Van Nuys. Whitley Heights is named for him.

An aerial view of the Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles. There is a red arrow pointing to a gravestone which is numbered with the number four. There are trees and grass.

Cecil B. DeMille

When he wasn't building Egyptian cities in the dunes or giving entire homes as wedding presents, DeMille directed over 50 films, silent and with sound, including The Ten Commandments and Cleopatra. [Image via Wildhartlivie]

A group of gravestones in the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words in the center of the group of gravestones read DeMille

Rudolph Valentino

The handsome silent film star died young (only 31!), crushing the hopes and dreams of droves of young women who loved the actor from afar. According to a cemetery tour guide, Valentino's grave is still, to this day, "the most celebrated, visited and talked-about." [Image via Alan Light]

The interior of a mausoleum in the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The walls and grave site are marble. There is a brown plaque on the wall with words that read Rodolfo Guglielmi Valentino. There are flowers in vases on a shelf under the plaque.

Douglas Fairbanks

The silent film actor who was often seen with a crazy mustache was a founding member of United Artists and the Motion Picture Academy of the Arts. He was married to Mary Pickford. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department]

In the foreground is a small body of water. In the distance is a large white grave with a black crest symbol on its exterior.

Mel Blanc

Blanc voiced dozens of Warner Brothers cartoon characters from Bugs Bunny to the Tasmanian Devil. His tombstone is inscribed, "That's All Folks." [Image via Robert A. Estremo]

A grey gravestone in the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words on the gravestone read That’s all folks, Mel Blanc, man of 1000 voices beloved husband and father 1908-1989

Peter Lorre

Lorre gained fame through his work in the films The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department

A pink marble gravestone. There are two plaques on the gravestone with words that read Peter Lorre 1904-1964 and Anne Marie Lorre 1922-1971.

Jayne Mansfield

Platinum-blonde Mansfield was a sex symbol whom some called "the working man's Monroe," as she was definitely a rival of Marilyn Monroe. She died at just 34 in a tragic car accident. Her gravemarker here is more of a memorial; she's actually buried in Pennsylvania. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department]

A brown and white gravestone in the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words on the gravestone read Jayne Mansfield 1938-1967 We live to love you more each day.

Hattie McDaniel

McDaniel worked in both radio and film and has stars on the Walk of Fame for both. She won an Academy Award for her role in Gone With The Wind, and was the first African-American to be awarded the honor. She was supposed to be buried here but due to prevailing segregation rules at the cemetery, was actually interred elsewhere. This marker was added in the late ’90s. [Image via Wildhartlivie]

A gravestone with words that read: Hattie McDaniel academy award Gone with the Wind.

Johnny Ramone

The clear winner of the unofficial award for best gravemarker in the entire cemetery (and maybe all of LA) is this leather-jacketed rocker who was a founding member of the punk bank The Ramones. [Image via Wikimedia]

A monument statue at the Hollywood Forever cemetery. The statue is of Johnny Ramone who is dressed in a leather jacket and jeans. He is playing a metallic silver guitar.

Dee Dee Ramone

Dee Dee was a founding member of the Ramones, and also wrote songs and played bass for the group. Some of the Ramones best jams were penned by Dee Dee, including "53rd & 3rd" and "Rockaway Beach." [Image via Sean Russell]

A black gravestone in front of a tree. The words on the gravestone read Douglas Glenn Colvin, Dee Dee Ramone, O.k...I gotta go now. There is grass and other gravestones surrounding this gravestone.

Bugsy Siegel

This gangster was also an early Las Vegas developer. He was fatally shot in his girlfriend's house when he was just 41. [Image via Gedstrom]

The inside of a mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever cemetery. There is a plaque on the wall that is brown and reads: In loving memory from the family, Benjamin Siegel. There are flowers in vases on a shelf in front of the plaque. There are lipstick kiss ma

Tyrone Power

From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power starred in scads of films including The Mask of Zorro and Prince of Foxes. Later in his career, he took on more serious, weighty roles like in Witness for the Prosecution, in which he played a man accused of murder.

An above ground gravesite. The stone coffin has a sign that reads Tyrone Power. There is a decorative flower display in front of the gravesite.

Vampira (Maila Nurmi)

The original Vampira, Nurmi was an aspiring actress who "made it" doing a late-night TV show as the creepy character. She was also in Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space. Admirers still leave plastic fangs on her grave sometimes. [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department]

A grey gravestone. The words Maila Nurmi Vampira Hollywood Legend are written on the gravestone. There is a drawing of Vampira next to the words. There are two plastic models of fangs sitting against the gravestone. The gravestone is surrounded by plants

Marion Davies

Davies is best remembered as William Randolph Hearst's mistress, but she was also an actress and producer, and began her career on Broadway. She also had a fair amount of money on her own; when Hearst's company was failing in the late Thirties, she wrote him a million-dollar check to get out of debt.

An aerial view of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. There is a red arrow pointing to a number 17 which is the gravesite of Marion Davies.

John Huston

A director who wrote scripts for many of the epics he produced, Huston's big work like The Treasure of Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, and The African Queen garnered him 15 Oscar nominations. (He won twice.) [Image via Kafziel Complaint Department]

A grey headstone in Hollywood Forever cemetery. The words on the headstone read: John Huston, beloved mother Rhea Huston. There is a bottle of liquor sitting against the headstone.