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Sunday, March 6, 2011

UCLA History: Who's Buried in Westwood?

The photo above shows the 1962 funeral of actress Marilyn Monroe in Westwood Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery was developed in 1905 on essentially empty land, well before the UCLA campus arrived nearby in the late 1920s. Because the cemetery is now hidden by various buildings along Wilshire Blvd, many are unaware of its existence. It is behind the building housing the AVCO movie theater. (See the Google map photo on the right.)

Due to its location, the cemetery the final home to many entertainment types, ranging from actor Eddie Albert to musician Frank Zappa and Hollywood mogul Darryl Zanuck. But some literary figures are also to be found there including Truman Capote and Wil and Ariel Durant.

You can find out who else is buried in Westwood by going to http://www.findagrave.com/ and searching for any of the names above. Then click on the cemetery name.

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