Ona Munson

Birth Name:

Owena Elizabeth Wolcott

Birth Date:

June 16, 1903

Birth Place:

Portland, Oregon

Death Date:

February 11, 1955

Place of Death:

The Belnord, 225 W. 86th Street, New York, New York

Age:

Cause of Death:

Suicide by barbiturate overdose

Cemetery Name:

Ferncliff Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Show Business

Associates:

John Wayne

Ona Munson was an American film and stage actress. She starred in 9 Broadway productions and 20 feature films in her career, which spanned over 30 years. By the mid-1950s, Munson was suffering from health complications following an unspecified surgical procedure, and frequently was using barbiturates. In February 1955, Eugene Berman found Munson dead in their Manhattan apartment, having committed suicide via a barbiturate overdose.

Fun Facts

She was married three times, to actor and director Edward Buzzell in 1926, to Stewart McDonald in 1941, and designer Eugene Berman in 1949. These have been termed “lavender” marriages, in that they were intended to conceal her bisexuality and her affairs with women, including filmmaker Dorothy Arzner and playwright Mercedes de Acosta. Munson has been listed as a member of a group called the “sewing circle”, a clique of lesbians organized by actress Alla Nazimova

She married her third husband, designer and painted Eugene Berman, in 1950, at the home of Igor Stravinsky.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Ferncliff Cemetery

280 Secor Road

Hartsdale, New York, 10530

USA

North America

Map:

Grave Location:

Ferncliff Mausoleum, Unit 8, Tier Y, Column 6, Niche 5

Grave Location Description

As you enter the Ferncliff Mausoleum, turn left, then left again and then make a right. Weave your way to Unit 8 until you find Ed Sullivan. Look to the right and you will see an elevator. Take that elevator (there are no stairs) down one level. As you exit the elevator walk at a 45 degree angle to the right and you will find Ona Munson’s cremated remains on the wall unit.

And yes – this windowless, steamy mausoleum basement is creepy as hell.

Grave Location GPS

41.0281298850 -73.8363440007

Photos:

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Videos Featuring Ona Munson:

The Cheaters (1945) Ona Munson & Billie Burke

Gone With the Wind (1939) – Melanie and Belle

Tribute to Ona Munson