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 Lennie Hayton 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.