Inside the Hidden LA Cemetery of Hollywood’s Biggest Stars
It’s no secret that I love cemeteries. I find them to be very peaceful and a place to reflect. And if you live in Los Angeles, like I do, you can do some serious (dead) celebriity sightings. So where do you go when you want to see the A-listers and Hollywood royalty of yesteryear? Westwood Village Memorial Park.
About Westwood Village Memorial Park
The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park is located at 1218 Glendon Ave. in Westwood, California. Even though burials took place as early as the 1880s, the cemetery was officially established in 1905 and under a different name: Sunset Cemetery. (The development of Westwood Village began in 1929 around the same time UCLA opened.) In 1926, the cemetery changed its name to Westwood Memorial Park.
Back when it was founded, the cemetery was surrounded by grasslands. Now high-rise buildings surround Westwood Village Memorial Park. And unless you you know where you’re going, the cemetery is hard to find. A very basic sign on Glendon Ave directs visitors down an alley.
How is the Westwood Cemetery Different Than Hollywood Forever?
Other than the size and location, the biggest difference is the type of headstones Westwood Village allows.
Up untill the 1950s, the cemetery only offered below ground burials. Most plots are marked by plaques, making it very flat. The only “raised” headstones are in the bigger plots where many celebrities are buried. Today they offer mausoleums, niches and gated estates — and they aren’t cheap! Some plots cost up to $2 million.
Unlike Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Westwood Village Memorial Park doesn’t offer guided tours. However, the cemetery is open to the public every day, unless you happen to visit on one of the rare days they’re closed for a private event. (Yes, this happened to me.)
Which Celebrities Are Buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park?
The Westwood Village cemetery easily has more celebrities per square foot than any other cemetery. OK, may be an exaggeration, but it sure seems like every few steps there’s a name you recognize.
What makes this cemetery so interesting is that many of the celebrities have one or multiple connections — either professional or romantic — to someone buried there.
If you want to visit the cemetery, I’ve organized the graves in a way that will allow you to do a self-guided walking tour of Westwood Village Memorial Park. You can also use this map as a visual reference, although it is not up to date. Just remember it’s a working cemetery and to be respectful.
Armand Hammer
When you first walk in, you’ll probably notice a big mausoleum, which belongs to the Hammer family. Armand Hammer was an oil tycoon, philanthropist and art collector. (The Hammer Museum one block over is named after him and his brother.) He’s also actor Armie Hammer’s great-grandfather. If you want to learn more about the Hammer family, watch “The House of Hammer.”
Don Knotts
It may be miles away from Mayberry, North Carolina, but Westwood is the final resting place for Barney Fife. “The Andy Griffith Show” star’s bronze marker is not only hard to miss, it’s also one of the more colorful and artistic markers in the entire cemetery.
Eva Gabor
The youngest sister of ZsaZsa Gabor, Eva is best known for her starring role on “Green Acres.” She also did voiceover work for Disney animated films, including “The Rescuers” and “The Aristocats.” Fun fact: After her final marriage, Eva Gabor allegedly had a relationship with Merv Griffin. His grave is on the other side of the cemetery.
Truman Capote
Best known for his novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and true crime novel “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote was a small man with a big mouth. I highly recommend the series “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” and the book “Swans of Fifth Avenue” for all the Capote lore.
Marilyn Monroe
Have you ever wondered, “Where is Marilyn Monroe buried?” Located in the Corridor of Memories, Norma Jeane is by far Westwood Village Memorial Park’s most famous resident. Joe DiMaggio originally purchased the crypt above her, but sold it to Richard Poncher. He requested to be placed face down so he could always look at Marilyn. (Eww.) His widow auctioned off the crypt in 2009 to pay off her mortgage. She received a bid for $4.6 million, but the deal fell through.
Hugh Hefner
Even though he never met her, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner purchased the drawer next to Marilyn Monroe from a private seller in 1992 for $75,000. He told the Los Angeles Times: “Spending eternity next to Marilyn is too sweet to pass up.” Poor Marilyn.
Dean Martin
Rat Pack member and Marilyn Monroe’s final co-star is located in the Sanctuary of Love. When I visited, someone left a small bottle of Jack Daniel’s on his plaque. Apparently Dino liked to drink Jack Daniel’s over ice.
Kirk Douglas
When you think of Kirk Douglas do you also hear “I’M SPARTACUS!”? Because same. The iconic actor is interred with his wife, Anne, and son, Eric.
George C. Scott
The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the voiceover in a commercial saying “George C. Scott in ‘The Whipping Boy’” from the 90s. Nevermind that he won an Academy Award for “Patton,” which he declined. Scott’s grave is unmarked.
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau will always be Mr. Wilson in “Dennis the Menace” to me. The perpetual grumpy old man starred in 10 films with Jack Lemmon, including “Grumpy Old Men.” It’s only fitting that they are eternal neighbors.
Janet Leigh
On screen she played the mother of Norman Bates in “Psycho.” Off screen she is the real life mother of Jamie Lee Curtis. In a weird six degrees of separation, Janet Leigh was married to Tony Curtis, who appeared in “Some Like it Hot” with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe and directed by Billy Wilder. The ashes of Robert Bloch, the author of “Psycho,” are interred in the cemetery’s Room of Prayer columbarium.
Ray Bradbury
For a writer, Ray Bradbury’s epitaph is short on words: Author of Fahrenheit 451.
Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin wins for having one of my favorite epitaphs at Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery: “I will not be right back after this message.” Apparently the Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune announcer had an alternative epitaph, too: “Stay Tuned.”
Farrah Fawcett
I vividly remember when Farrah Fawcett passed away because it was the same day Michael Jackson died. Ryan O’Neal, the longtime partner of the “Charlie’s Angels” star, joined her in 2023.
Rodney Dangerfield
There’s a reason Rodney Dangerfield’s catchphrase “I get no respect,” isn’t on his headstone. His wife chose “There goes the neighborhood” because on the day of comedian’s death, the joke of the day on his website was “I tell ya I get no respect from anyone. I bought a cemetery plot. The guy said, ‘There goes the neighborhood!'”
Jack Lemmon
One of my favorite actors also has one of my favorite epitaphs. So simple, yet so funny.
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder is probably the most connected man in Westwood Village Memorial Park. The multi-hyphenate is right next to Jack Lemmon, while Marliyn Monroe and Dean Marin are across the lawn. The epitaph on his headstone is a reference to a line in the movie “Some Like It Hot” which starred Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon.
Peter Falk
Tucked back in a corner is the grassy plot of “Columbo” star Peter Falk. His grave is across from “The Simpsons” co-creator Sam Simon, who was a big fan of the show. There’s a statue and bench in the area for Simon’s dog, Columbo, who died in 2019.
Dorothy Stratten
Playboy Playmate and actress Dorothy Stratten was murdered by her estranged husband. She was only 20 years old. Dorothy’s epitaph is from Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms.” In 1983, Hemingway’s granddaughter, Mariel, would play Dorothy in the film “Star 80.” Karina Longworth has a really good podcast episode about her on “You Must Remember This.”
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich was a man of many talents: writer, director, actor and producer. And if you watched “The Sopranos” he was Dr. Elliot Kupferberg. Peter’s buried next to Dorothy Stratten, who he had an affair with while directing her in “They All Laughed” and had a relationship with up until her death.
Bettie Page
She may be known as “The Queen of Pin-Ups,” but Bettie Page was more than blunt bangs and curves. If you want to learn more about Bettie’s life, listen to this episode of Morbid.
Natalie Wood
After Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood is the second most-visited grave. Her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, said in an HBO documentary that the focus on Natalie’s death and speculation have “overshadowed her life’s work and who she was as a person.”
Roy Orbison
“The Caruso of Rock” is buried on the lawn in an unmarked grave next to director Frank Wright Tuttle. I met a man at Orbison’s grave and asked if he knows why it’s unmarked. He said he met one of Roy’s sons and asked him if they’d ever add a headstone or marker. The son said, “Not in my lifetime.”
Richard Dawson
Which gameshow host who kissed all the female contestants is buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park? Survey says: Richard Dawson.
Jim Backus
You may not recognize him by name, but if you heard him speak, you’d immediately know him as Thurston Howell III or Mr. Magoo. Jim Backus also played James Dean’s dad in “Rebel Without a Cause” which starred his forever lawn-mate Natalie Wood.
Want to See the Most Famous Graves at Westwood Memorial Cemetery?
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