George M. Cohan

Birth Name:

George Michael Cohan

Birth Date:

July 3, 1878

Birth Place:

Providence, Rhode Island

Death Date:

November 5, 1942

Place of Death:

993 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York

Age:

Cause of Death:

Abdominal cancer

Cemetery Name:

Woodlawn Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Show Business

George M. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with family as "The Four Cohans". Over the span of six decades that simple beginning developed into Cohan becoming perhaps the greatest entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer in Broadway history. Over his career Cohan appeared in more than three dozen Broadway musicals, wrote more than 50 shows and published more than 300 songs during his lifetime, including the standards "Over There", "Give My Regards to Broadway", "The Yankee Doodle Boy" and "You're a Grand Old Flag". In 1959 a $100,000 bronze statue of Cohan was dedicated in Times Square at Broadway and 46th Street in Manhattan. The 8-foot bronze remains the only statue of an actor on Broadway.

Fun Fact

George M. Cohan was 64, and had just a few weeks to live, when producers showed him the movie they’d made about his astonishingly productive life. Starring James Cagney, who went on to win the best actor Oscar for singing, hoofing and acting Cohan, the film was named after Cohan’s signature song, “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” And to the old showman’s delight — “My God, what an act to follow!” he said of Cagney’s performance — it was crammed with the tunes he was celebrated for, including “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Over There,” and of course, “Give My Regards to Broadway.”

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Woodlawn Cemetery

4199 Webster Avenue

Bronx, New York, 10470

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York

Grave Location:

Butternut Section, Plot 141, Lot 13841

Grave Location Description

Cohan Family mausoleum is directly on Park Avenue near the intersection of Park Avenue and Filbert Avenue. If you are looking at the official Woodlawn Cemetery Map he is in sector J-2. If you follow the path to the left of the mausoleum into the Butternut Section and turn left at the end of the path, you will find the final resting place of violinist Fritz Kreisler.