Lena Horne (born June 30, 1917, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—died May 9, 2010, New York City) was an American singer and actress who first came to fame in the 1940s.

Horne left school at age 16 to help support her ailing mother and became a dancer at theCotton Club in Harlem,New York City. In two years at the Cotton Club she appeared with such entertainers asCab Calloway and eventually starred in her own shows. In 1935 she joined theNoble Sissle orchestra under the name Helena Horne. Horne was married from 1937 to 1944 to Louis J. Jones. In the early 1940s she was hired to sing forCharlie Barnet’s orchestra. She was discovered by producerJohn Hammond, and soon after she performed in a solo show atCarnegie Hall in New York City.

In 1942 Horne moved to Los Angeles, after which she appeared in such movies asCabin in the Sky (1943),Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956), andThe Wiz (1978). Her role in thefilmStormy Weather (1943) included her rendition of the title song, which became her trademark. A remarkablycharismatic entertainer, Horne was one of the most popular singers of her time. One of her albums,Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria (1957), was a longtimebest seller, and her first featured performance on Broadway—in the musicalJamaica (1957)—won her aNew York Drama Critics’ Poll Award in 1958.

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Though primarily known as an entertainer, Horne also was noted for her work withcivil rights and political organizations; as an actress, she refused to play roles thatstereotyped African American women. She was married toLennie Hayton from 1947 until his death in 1971. Her one-woman show,Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music (1981), garnered many awards, including a Drama Critics’ Circle Award and a special achievement Tony Award. In 1984 Horne received a Kennedy Center honour for lifetime contribution to the arts, and in 1989 she was given aGrammy Award for lifetime achievement.