Thousands of actors, directors, producers, and performers are buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Many of their names once shone brightly on marquees around the world. Yet, some of the cemetery’s most fascinating residents never chased fame. Rose Edith Williams was a humble housekeeper who kept a big secret, only becoming one of Los Angeles’s most talked-about women after her death.
By Allan R. Ellenberger
When Rose Edith Williams passed away at eighty-two in late December 1964, hardly anyone knew her well. She lived alone in a small apartment at 1430 Miramar Street in Los Angeles’ Westlake area and spent most of her adult life working as a maid for wealthy families. She kept to herself, never inviting anyone over or hosting gatherings like her neighbors did. Quiet and petite, she seemed to live a simple life. But behind that quiet image was a secret that would soon make headlines across Southern California.
Williams was born on July 24, 1882, in Upton on Severn, England, and moved to America in 1914. Not much is known about her early years, but people who met her later remembered her as someone independent and hardworking. By the early 1930s, she had settled in Los Angeles, working as a maid and housekeeper.
For many years, she worked in private homes, quietly doing the chores that kept everything running. She never married and spent most of her life alone. Her simple lifestyle gave no hint that she had any real wealth. In fact, most people who knew her thought she lived from one paycheck to the next.
What neighbors remembered most about Rose wasn’t her job, but her clothes. In her apartment building, she was known as "The Little Old Lady in Red." Rose loved the color red and seemed almost obsessed with it. She had red dresses, red hats, red shoes, and even red nightclothes. People often saw the small British woman dressed in shades of scarlet, crimson, or pink. She became so closely linked to the color that many people called her by that nickname alone.
Privately, though, Williams was building a small fortune. Unlike most people at the time, she became interested in stocks and investments. As a maid and housekeeper, she saved her money and put it into safe investments. Sam Dunford, an attorney who employed her for twelve years, later said he wasn’t surprised by her wealth because she often talked about the stock market and kept a close eye on her investments. She lived simply, valued saving for the future, and was very disciplined about it. The full extent of her investments only came to light after she died.
When she passed on December 30, 1964, officials from the Los Angeles County Public Administrator’s Office were shocked to find about $130,000 in securities in her safe-deposit box. Today, that would be worth over $1 million. Investigators thought she might have had money in other banks as well.
Both officials and neighbors were stunned by what they found. People at the Public Administrator’s office admitted they were puzzled, too. They couldn’t understand how someone who spent her life cleaning for others could save so much money. One official even joked that he wished he knew who her financial adviser was. Another wondered what she might have done with all the dividends her investments must have earned over the years.
Suddenly, Rose Williams became a celebrity. Newspapers across California ran stories about the thrifty maid who quietly became wealthy. Reporters were amazed at how she lived so simply yet managed her money so well. At a time when most Americans were just learning about investing, Williams was held up as an example of frugality, patience, and smart financial choices.
Even after she passed away, Rose stayed true to her favorite color. She was buried at Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, just as her will requested, in a custom-made red coffin. Her funeral drew a mix of mourners, including city officials, curious onlookers, her stockbroker, and others connected to her estate.
Today, most visitors to Hollywood Forever look for the graves of Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Judy Garland, or Johnny Ramone. But Rose Edith Williams’s story reminds us that when we visit cemeteries to honor celebrities, we’re also keeping the memory of everyday people alive.
The crypt of Rose Williams in the Abbey of the Psalms, Sanctuary of Peace, Crypt 6362. Below, the white arrow indicates the location of her final resting place within the mausoleum.
Rose Williams was never on the silver screen or a Broadway stage. She wasn’t famous during her life. But what she left behind might be even more important: proof that persistence, independence, and smart choices can turn an ordinary life into something remarkable.
More than sixty years after her death, the story of Hollywood’s "Little Old Lady in Red" is still one of the most extraordinary and endearing legends at Hollywood Forever. It’s the tale of a humble maid who kept her amazing secret until the very end.
Tomorrow on The Hollywoodland Revue: this week’s “Coming Attractions” roundup featuring the newest theatrical releases, critical reactions, audience buzz, and recommendations on what may—or may not—be worth your ticket money.
If you enjoyed my latest Hollywood Forever Immortals profile on Rose Williams—the mysterious “Little Old Lady in Red” who quietly amassed a fortune while working as a maid—please leave a comment, rate the article, and share it with fellow lovers of Hollywood history and fascinating true stories.
Rose Williams Naturalization photograph, 1941
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