13 Actresses Who Could Portray Lena Horne in The Showtime Mini Series

Now that there’s a limited series based on Lena Horne. We have one question looming, who will play the late multi-hyphenated star?

The Showtime is called Blackbird: Lena Horne America, after Horne’s favorite poem, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.”

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The limited series on Lena Horne will span 60 years of her life, from dancing at the Cotton Club when she was 16, through World War II and stardom of the MGM years, McCarthyism, the civil rights movement and her triumphant return to Broadway. The series will encompass her deepest relationships: Paul Robeson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Joe Louis, Billie Holiday, Hattie McDaniel, Ava Gardner and Orson Welles, to name a few.

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Horne wasn’t just a celebrated entertainer but she was also a fearless civil rights activist. She famously refused to play for segregated audiences during her time entertaining troops with the USO during World War II. She also attended the March on Washington in 1963 and advocated on behalf of numerous organizations dedicated the helping Black people in America.

The entertainer and activist’s granddaughter Jenny Lemut is on-board with the project as a writer and an executive producer. Lumet will also pen the first few episodes with her longtime producing partner, Alex Kurtzman.

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And since the jury is still out on casting, here’s our list of 13 actresses who could play Lena Horne. Since the miniseries is from will cover her younger years throughout the span of her career, we included actresses who could play Lena Horne when she was younger.