Nell Gwynne

She was buried in the Church of St Martin's in the Fields, at the corner of Trafalgar Square, London, after a funeral in which Thomas Tenison, the Archbishop of Canterbury, preached a sermon on the text of Luke 15:7 "Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.". She returned to the screen three more times, playing Claire Quintana in the 1969 film Death of a Gunfighter, Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz (1978), with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, and co-hosting the 1994 MGM retrospective That's Entertainment! III. She died, two years later, of apoplexy, aged 37, at 79 Pall Mall, in London. Disenchanted with Hollywood by the mid-1950s, and increasingly focused on her nightclub career, she only made two major appearences in MGM films during the decade, 1950's Duchess of Idaho (which was also Eleanor Powell's film swan song), and the 1956 musical Meet Me in Las Vegas. James II, obeying his brother's deathbed wish, "Let not poor Nelly starve," paid most of them off and gave her a pension of 1500 pounds a year, a huge sum in 1685. (As a result, most of Horne's film appearances were standalone sequences that had no bearing on the rest of the film, so editing caused no disruption to the storyline.) She was originally considered for the lead role in the 1951 version of Show Boat but Ava Gardner was given the role instead. Nell, however, accumulated enormous debts. She later appeared in a number of MGM musicals, most notably Cabin in the Sky, but was never featured in a leading role due to her race and the fact that films featuring her had to be reedited for showing in southern states where theatres could not show films with African-American performers.

It is thought to have been Nell who persuaded the king to build the Royal Hospital, Chelsea in London for ex-servicemen. She was the first African American performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio, and became famous in 1943 for her rendition of Stormy Weather in the movie of the same name. Nell was the only one of Charles II's many mistresses to be genuinely popular with the English public. While she has recorded and performed extensively with jazz musicians (notably Artie Shaw and Teddy Wilson), she is usually not considered a jazz singer because she does not improvise. Charles was the first Duke of St Albans. Lena Calhoun Horne (born June 30, 1917) is an American popular singer. By Charles, Nell had two sons, Charles Beauclerk (1670-1726) and James Beauclerk (1671-1680). Being Myself (1998; Blue Note).

Find something else to fight about.". An Evening with Lena Horne (1995; Blue Note) - Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. She broke up the fight, saying, "I am a whore. We'll Be Together Again (1994; Blue Note). Nell is also famous for another remark made to her coachman, who was fighting with another man who had called her a whore. The Men in My Life (1988; Three Cherries). The particular Catholic whore (of the moment) was Louise de Keroualle, the Duchess of Portsmouth. The Lady and Her Music (1981; Qwest) - Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

This appeal to British bigotry made her immensely popular. Lena: A New Album (1976; RCA). Nell is remembered for one particularly apt witticism, which was recounted in the memoirs of the Comte de Gramont, remembering the events of 1681:. Lena and Michel (1975; RCA). When she was 19 she became the king's mistress, having previously been the mistress of Lord Buckhurst. Nature's Baby (1971; Buddah). Having first made a living selling oranges, she became an actress (not at that time a respectable profession) when she was fifteen. Lena & Gabor (1970; Skye).

(Her mother died because she passed out from too much brandy and drowned in a brook.). Soul (1966; UA). Her mother ran a bawdyhouse, where Nell grew up. Merry from Lena (1966; UA). The daughter of Thomas Gywnne and his wife Rose, Nell Gwyn was probably born in an alley near Covent Garden (though sometimes said to have been born in Hereford) and never learned to read or write. Lena in Hollywood (1966; UA). Nell Gwyn (or Gwynn or Gwynne), (February 1650 - 14 November 1687), the most famous of the many mistresses of King Charles II, was called "pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys. Feelin' Good (1965; UA).

Here's Lena Now! (1964; 20th Century). Sings Your Requests (1963; Charter). Lena Goes Latin (1963; Charter). Lovely & Alive (1963; RCA).

Lena on the Blue Side (1962; RCA). At the Sands (1961; RCA). Songs by Burke and Van Heusen (1960; RCA). Porgy & Bess (1959; RCA) - with Harry Belafonte.

Give the Lady What She Wants (1958; RCA). Jamaica [Original Cast Recording] (1957; RCA). At the Waldorf Astoria (1957; RCA). Stormy Weather (1956; RCA).

It's Love (1955; RCA). That's Entertainment! III (1994; MGM). The Wiz (1978; Universal Studios). Death of a Gunfighter (1969; Universal Studios).

Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956; MGM). Duchess of Idaho (1950; MGM). Words and Music (1948; MGM). Studio Visit (1946; MGM short subject).

Ziegfeld Follies (1946; MGM). Mantan Messes Up (1946; Toddy Pictures). Till the Clouds Roll By (1946; MGM). Boogie-Woogie Dream (1944; Official Films short subject).

Broadway Rhythm (1944; MGM). Swing Fever (1944; MGM). Two Girls and a Sailor (1944; MGM). Cabin in the Sky (1943; MGM).

I Dood It (1943; MGM). Stormy Weather (1942; 20th Century Fox). Thousands Cheer (1943; MGM). Panama Hattie (1942; MGM)*.

The Duke is Tops (1938; Million Dollar Pictures).