Notable burials · Arts and entertainment
Writers and poets buried in California
Wikidata records 1,282 writers as buried in 95 of the cemeteries we list in California. Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale holds the most, with 266. California has the highest count of any state, out of 6,032 nationally.
People recorded as writers, novelists, poets, playwrights or screenwriters.
1,282
writers
95
cemeteries
14%
of notable burials in California
1960s
the decade with the most deaths (164)
Map of cemeteries
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Each point is a cemetery; open it for everyone recorded there.
Best documented
Writers and poets buried in California
- Walt Disney1901-1966American animator, producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor and entrepreneur, founder of The Walt Disney CompanyForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Richard Feynman1918-1988American theoretical physicistMountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum, Altadena, CA
- Elizabeth Taylor1932-2011British-American actressForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Bing Crosby1903-1977American singer and actorHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- John Wayne1907-1979American actorPacific View Memorial Park, Costa Mesa, CA
- Ray Bradbury1920-2012American author and screenwriterWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Humphrey Bogart1899-1957American actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Kobe Bryant1978-2020American basketball playerPacific View Memorial Park, Costa Mesa, CA
- Frank Zappa1940-1993American musicianWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Carrie Fisher1956-2016American actress, writer and screenwriterForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Truman Capote1924-1984American writerWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- David Lynch1946-2025American filmmakerHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Charles Bukowski1920-1994German-American writerGreen Hills Memorial Park, Lomita, CA
- Lauren Bacall1924-2014American actressForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Mary Pickford1892-1979Canadian actress and producerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Kirk Douglas1916-2020American actorWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Buster Keaton1895-1966American actor, comedian and filmmakerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Paul Walker1973-2013American actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- James Stewart1908-1997American actor and military officerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Gary Cooper1901-1961American actorHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Matthew Perry1969-2023American-Canadian actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- John Ford1894-1973American film directorHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Sally Ride1951-2012American astronaut and physicistWoodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica, CA
- Raymond Chandler1888-1959American novelist and screenwriterMount Hope Cemetery, National City, CA
- Gene Kelly1912-1996American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographerWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Debbie Reynolds1932-2016American actress, singer, and dancerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Paramahansa Yogananda1893-1952Yogi, Kriya Yoga guru and founder of Self-Realization FellowshipForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Larry King1933-2021American television and radio hostHillside Memorial Park, Inglewood, CA
- Burt Lancaster1913-1994American actorWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Richard Simmons1948-2024American fitness instructor and video producerWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Dean Martin1917-1995American singer, actor, comedian and film producerWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Bob Hope1903-2003American entertainerSan Fernando Mission Cemetery, Santa Clarita, CA
- Billy Wilder1906-2002Austrian and American filmmakerWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Hugh Hefner1926-2017American businessman and magazine publisherWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Ginger Rogers1911-1995American actress and dancerOakwood Memorial Park, Simi Valley, CA
- Leonard Nimoy1931-2015American actorHillside Memorial Park, Inglewood, CA
- Errol Flynn1909-1959Australian actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Theodore Dreiser1871-1945American novelist and journalistForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Fritz Lang1890-1976Austrian filmmakerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Burt Reynolds1936-2018American actorHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Harold Lloyd1893-1971American actor and comedianForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- L. Frank Baum1856-1919American author of children's booksForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Garry Marshall1934-2016American actor and filmmakerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- William Saroyan1908-1981Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writerMountain View Cemetery, Fresno, CA
- William Wyler1902-1981Swiss-German-American director and producerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Mickey Rooney1920-2014American actorHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- John Huston1906-1987American film director, screenwriter, and actorHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Bob Saget1956-2022American stand-up comedianMount Sinai Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Will Durant1885-1981American historian, philosopher and writerWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Cecil B. DeMille1881-1959American film director, producer and actorHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Jack LaLanne1914-2011American exercise instructorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- James Coburn1928-2002American actorWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Loretta Young1913-2000American actressHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Bill Paxton1955-2017American actor and filmmakerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Charles Laughton1899-1962British-American actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Sidney Sheldon1917-2007American writerWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Penny Marshall1943-2018American actress, director and producerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Peter Falk1927-2011American actorWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Shelley Winters1920-2006American actressHillside Memorial Park, Inglewood, CA
- Janet Leigh1927-2004American actressWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Mary Astor1906-1987American actress and authorHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Wendell Meredith Stanley1904-1971American biochemist and virologist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1946)Sunset View Cemetery, Kensington, CA
- Alvin Toffler1928-2016American writer, futurist and businessmanWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Stan Laurel1890-1965English actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Lion Feuchtwanger1884-1958German writerWoodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica, CA
- Richard Kiel1939-2014American actorBelmont Memorial Park, Fresno, CA
- Chuck McCann1934-2018American voice actor and comedianForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Douglas Fairbanks1883-1939American actor, screenwriter, director, and producerHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Will Rogers1879-1935American humorist and entertainerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Ernst Lubitsch1892-1947German-American actor and film directorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Paul Reubens1952-2023American actor and comedianHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- David Carradine1936-2009American actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Natalie Cole1950-2015American singerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Tim Conway1933-2019American actor and comedianWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Oliver Hardy1892-1957American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and HardyValhalla Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Lionel Barrymore1878-1954American actor, director and screenwriterCalvary Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Karen Black1939-2013American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriterEternal Hills Memorial Park, Oceanside, CA
- Don Knotts1924-2006American actor and stand-up comedianWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Wolfgang Petersen1941-2022German film directorWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Peter Lorre1904-1964Hungarian and American actorHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Peter Finch1916-1977British-Australian actorHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Pola Negri1897-1987Polish actressCalvary Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Marie Dressler1868-1934Canadian-American actressForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Ida Lupino1918-1995British actressForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Rosalind Russell1907-1976American actressHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Anne Heche1969-2022American actressHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- George Burns1896-1996American comedian, actor, writer and singerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Samuel Goldwyn1879-1974Polish-American film producerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Frank Lloyd1886-1960British film directorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Frank Borzage1894-1962American film director and actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Peter Bogdanovich1939-2022American film directorWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- John Cassavetes1929-1989Greek-American actor, film director, and screenwriterWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Lewis Milestone1895-1980Russian-American film directorWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Ronald Colman1891-1958British actorSanta Barbara Cemetery, Montecito, CA
- David O. Selznick1902-1965American film producerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Charles Boyer1899-1978French actorHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Octavia E. Butler1947-2006American science fiction writerMountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum, Altadena, CA
- Ruth Handler1916-2002American businesswomanHillside Memorial Park, Inglewood, CA
- George Stevens1904-1975American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- John Candy1950-1994Canadian actorHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Fay Wray1907-2004ActressHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Warren Christopher1925-2011U.S. Secretary of StateForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Rodney Dangerfield1921-2004American stand-up comedianWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Irving Thalberg1899-1936American film producerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Mack Sennett1880-1960Canadian-American actor, producer and directorHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Leo McCarey1898-1969American film director, screenwriter and producerHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Eric Hoffer1902-1983American philosopherHoly Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma, CA
- Rod Taylor1930-2015Australian actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- W. C. Fields1880-1946American comedian, actor, juggler and writerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Merle Oberon1911-1979British actressForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Darryl F. Zanuck1902-1979American film producerWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Lon Chaney1883-1930American actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Eric Berne1910-1970Canadian psychiatristEl Carmelo Cemetery, Pacific Grove, CA
- Gene Autry1907-1998American actor and singerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Bob Kane1915-1998American comic book artist, the co-creator of BatmanForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Donald Crisp1882-1974English film actor and film directorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Josef von Sternberg1894-1969Austrian-American film directorWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Anna May Wong1904-1961Chinese American actressAngelus Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Alan Thicke1947-2016Canadian actor, songwriter, and television hostSanta Barbara Cemetery, Montecito, CA
- Rose Marie1923-2017American actress, singer, comedian, and vaudeville performerGlen Haven and Sholom Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Max Steiner1888-1971Austrian-born American music composer and conductorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Robert Bloch1917-1994American fiction writerWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Haing S. Ngor1940-1996Cambodian-American physician and actorRose Hills Memorial Park - Cemetery, Whittier, CA
- Louis B. Mayer1884-1957Canadian-American film producerHome of Peace Memorial Park, Los Angeles, CA
- Liberace1919-1987American pianistForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Marty Feldman1934-1982British author, actor, comedian and directorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Rouben Mamoulian1897-1987American film and theatre directorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- John Fante1909-19831909-1983; American novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Italian descentHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Sonny Bono1935-1998American entertainer, musician and politicianDesert Memorial Park Cemetery, Cathedral City, CA
- Lenny Bruce1925-1966American comedian and social criticEden Memorial Park, Mission Hills, CA
- Phil Hartman1948-1998Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriterForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Joseph Schildkraut1896-1964ActorHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Michael Landon1936-1991American actor and filmmakerHillside Memorial Park, Inglewood, CA
- Eddie Cantor1892-1964American comedian and actorHillside Memorial Park, Inglewood, CA
- Milton Berle1908-2002American comedian and actorHillside Memorial Park, Inglewood, CA
- Peggy Lipton1946-2019American actress and singerHillside Memorial Park, Inglewood, CA
- Tex Avery1908-1980American animator and directorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Burbank, CA
- Joe Jackson1928-2018American music manager, father of the Jackson familyForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Louis L'Amour1908-1988American novelist and short story writerForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Lilli Palmer1914-1986German actressForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Henry Hathaway1898-1985American film director and producerHoly Cross Cemetery, Inglewood, CA
- Rance Howard1928-2017American actorHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- Suzanne Somers1946-2023American actressDesert Memorial Park Cemetery, Cathedral City, CA
- Richard Brooks1912-1992American screenwriter, film director and producerHillside Memorial Park, Inglewood, CA
- King Camp Gillette1855-1932American entrepreneurForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Sam Wood1883-1949Director, producer, actorForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA
- Jackie Collins1937-2015British-American writer and actressWestwood Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA
- Mabel Normand1892-1930American actressCalvary Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
- David Starr Jordan1851-1931American ichthyologist and educatorAlta Mesa Cemetery, Los Altos, CA
- Harry Nilsson1941-1994American singer-songwriterValley Oaks Memorial Park Cemetery, Westlake Village, CA
Showing the 150 with the most Wikipedia language editions, of 1,282. Cemetery pages list everyone recorded there.
Over time
Deaths by decade
- 1860s3
- 1870s3
- 1890s8
- 1900s14
- 1910s19
- 1920s56
- 1930s96
- 1940s120
- 1950s148
- 1960s164
- 1970s142
- 1980s112
- 1990s109
- 2000s125
- 2010s139
- 2020s22
By recorded year of death, for the 1,280 people with one.
Cemeteries
Where they are buried
- Forest Lawn Memorial Park · Glendale, CA266
- Hollywood Forever Cemetery · Los Angeles, CA166
- Forest Lawn Memorial Park · Burbank, CA120
- Westwood Memorial Park · Santa Monica, CA105
- Hillside Memorial Park · Inglewood, CA64
- Holy Cross Cemetery · Inglewood, CA58
- Mount Sinai Memorial Park · Burbank, CA42
- Mountain View Cemetery · Oakland, CA36
- Inglewood Park Cemetery · Inglewood, CA31
- Valhalla Memorial Park · Burbank, CA29
- Cypress Lawn Memorial Park · Colma, CA25
- Angelus Rosedale Cemetery · Los Angeles, CA20
- San Fernando Mission Cemetery · Santa Clarita, CA20
- Calvary Cemetery · Los Angeles, CA19
- Woodlawn Cemetery · Santa Monica, CA19
- Santa Barbara Cemetery · Montecito, CA18
- Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum · Altadena, CA17
- Los Angeles National Cemetery · Los Angeles, CA10
- Eden Memorial Park · Mission Hills, CA10
- Grand View Memorial Park · Burbank, CA10
- Alta Mesa Cemetery · Los Altos, CA10
- Home of Peace Memorial Park · Los Angeles, CA9
- Golden Gate National Cemetery · San Bruno, CA9
- Desert Memorial Park Cemetery · Cathedral City, CA9
- Pacific View Memorial Park · Costa Mesa, CA8
Top 25 of 95 cemeteries. The map shows all of them.
More lists
Other notable burials in California
Actors3,238Musicians and singers950World War II veterans454Business leaders340Painters, sculptors and photographers300Baseball players260World War I veterans207Scientists198Journalists189United States representatives172American football players154Medal of Honor recipients145Inventors and engineers131Architects114Physicians92Aviators and astronauts81American Civil War veterans78Korean War veterans73Spanish-American War veterans50Boxers48Basketball players46Governors35United States senators32Vietnam War veterans24Mexican-American War veterans18Nobel Prize laureates15
Method
How this list is made
A person is on this list when their Wikidata entry gives a cemetery we list as their place of burial and also carries the statement this list is built on. We do not add anyone by judgment, so the list reflects how complete Wikidata is: some people are missing, and burial places can be disputed.
Names, years and descriptions are shown as Wikidata records them. Names link to Wikipedia where an English article exists.