Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Los Angeles)

6000 Santa Monica Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90038
(323) 469-1181
www.hollywoodforever.com

Hollywood Forever Cemetery is adjacent to the north wall, or back, of Paramount Studios. The Beth Olam Cemetery, which can be found in the southwestern section of the cemetery, was set aside for members of Hollywood's Jewish community.

Founded in 1899 as Hollywood Cemetery, by the latter part of the 20th century it had become quite rundown. Allegations of financial mismanagement caused the state of California to forbid the sale of plots. On the verge of closure in a bankruptcy proceeding, the Forever Network purchased it in 1998, renamed it "Hollywood Forever," and restored and refurbished it.

Among those interred or entombed in the cemetery are a number of important personalities, famous persons, including men and women from the entertainment industry, important people in the history of Los Angeles, and their relatives. Some of the tombs are quite lavish.

Burials continue to occur from time to time, including Fay Wray's funeral in 2004, as the longtime ban on the sale of plots, which was rescinded when the Forever Network restored the cemetery, has meant that plenty of space for future graves remains.