(Photo: CBS/Landov)

The iconic Lena Horne was honored at last year’s Academy Awards by Oscar winner Halle Berry. As we all know, Lena Horne passed away in May of 2010. Horne’s popularity is still strong. Stormy Weather, the biography written by James Gavin, was a bestseller on Amazon.com, receiving good reviews and praise from Oprah’s gal pal Gayle King.

But where is that biopic? Legendary columnist Liz Smith, stated on Variety.com:

“There is, of course, word whizzing about for a movie. In late 2007, Oprah announced her plan to star Alicia Keys as Lena in a biopic. But we haven’t heard anything on that front since.”

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1917. At 17 years old she had a featured role in the Cotton Club Parade and would go on to join several other orchestras and bands. Lena received immense pressure from management and industry insiders (Black and white) to “pass” for white or Hispanic. Horne aggressively refused, and when she finally came to Hollywood she even refused to play a maid.

Lena Horne was considered to play the lead role in 1951’s Showboat, but Ava Gardner was chosen because interracial relationships were banned in films. However, according to Wikipedia, “MGM executives required Gardner to practice her singing using recordings of Horne performing the songs, which offended both actresses.” Ain’t that something?

This is a biopic that we need and I can’t understand why no one is on it, considering biopics are often successful and sometimes Oscar-worthy.

First, Janet Jackson was set to play Lena Horne but allegedly was booted from the project after the infamous “wardrobe malfunction.” The biopic was set to be a made for TV movie on ABC.

Then, as Smith mentioned, Alicia Keys was to play Horne, but all talks of that have vanished.

I want to see the film made but I would love to see an actor tackle the role instead of a singer. Paula Patton, Jurnee Smollett, or even Nicole Ari Parker would be good choices.

Who would you like to see in a Lena Horne biopic?

Before Halle Berry, Diana Ross and even Diahann Carroll, Lena Horne changed the world with her talent, beauty and fearlessness.  She broke down what was thought to be solid barriers, becoming an international legend. Born in Brooklyn on June 30, 1917 and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Horne got her start in 1933 when she joined the chorus line of the Cotton Club in Harlem. She was mainly a nightclub performer until she was discovered by a talent agent. In 1941, Horne was the first African-American performer to sign a long-term contact with a major movie studio, which was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Her first film was in 1942, but because she was African American, most of her scenes were cut to stand-alone performances. Film after film, Horne endured her performances being cut down due to racism. However, in 1943, Horne starred in the all-Black musical, Cabin in the Sky, which also included Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.

By the mid-1950s, Horne was disgusted with Hollywood. She was turned down for more roles than she was offered, and then Hollywood blacklisted her for her political views. Horne fought anti-lynching laws, she refused to perform for segregated audiences during World War II and was such a powerful force for civil rights she met President John F. Kennedy two days before he was assassinated.  In regard to the way she was treated by the powers that be in Hollywood, Horne said, “I don’t have to be an imitation of a White woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.”  Lena was asked by several Hollywood heavyweights to just pass for White to get better roles, which she never did.  She also refused to play a maid — a role to which most Black actresses at that time were relegated.

Horne didn’t let Hollywood defeat her.  She appeared on several television shows, was nominated for a Tony Award in 1957, and also toured the world with several concerts. For her 1981 one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, she holds the record for the longest-running solo performance in Broadway history. In the 1990s, Lena Horne released several studio recordings, winning a Grammy in 1995 for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

In 1997, Horne had a resurgence of popularity among the younger generation when she appeared in a Gap commercial. By 1998, Horne officially retired from show business. Lena Horne died Sunday, May 9 at 92 years old in New York City.

Check out this clip below from Horne in Cabin in the Sky!