Words: Gentleman's Journal
The A-list are a mysterious bunch; in the public eye, constantly under the microscope — yet as opaque and unknowable as imported Italian marble. But the places they called home, at least, might furnish the rest of us with some clues.
How far did Peter Lawford have to walk to get a midnight snack? Did Bing Crosby ever bicker with his neighbours over the garden fence? And just how big was Sidney Kimmel’s hot tub? To know the house is to know the man — that’s why they call them ‘home truths’.
Here are six properties with Hollywood connections that you could buy tomorrow, if you were so inclined. Because the next best thing to being in the A-list is living like them.
An offer you can't refuse: the 'horse's head house' in Beverly Hills
There are few filmic images quite as striking as the horse’s-head scene in The Godfather: those golden, silken sheets, smeared and drenched in blood; the guttural scream. That’s what you get for refusing to cast Don Corleone’s godson in your next flick: a decapitated prized stallion and one hell of a dry cleaning bill.
And the house that scene was shot in is just as unforgettable. Known as Beverly House, it has 19 bedrooms and 29 bathrooms — a ratio that implies a weak bladder or a very itchy nose. (This is Hollywood, after all.)
- Beds: 19
- Baths: 29
- Price: $135,000,000
- Location: Beverly Hills
- Features: Swimming pool, tennis court, panelled library, covered ballroom, billiards room, two fountains.
Live like a film star: Sidney Kimmel's Malibu mansion
Surrounded by tropical greenery and with fabulous views over the Pacific, this luxurious compound was once home to late-night US talk show legend Johnny Carson before being bought by prolific film producer Sidney Kimmel, who brought us The Kite Runner and United 93.
The gorgeous, art-filled property is laid out in bold geometric patterns that include floor-to-ceiling windows and an indoor arboretum. For your money, you also get four acres of gardens on one of the most stunning parts of the Malibu coastline and private access to the beach below.
- Beds: 5
- Baths: 10
- Price: $65,200,000
- Location: Malibu
- Features: Swimming pool, tennis court, private beach access, koi pond, wine cellar, home gym. hiltonhyland.com
Never know a White Christmas: Bing Crosby’s Palm Springs ranch
Bing Crosby, the man eternally dreaming of a white Christmas, once lived in this house that could not be further from a winter wonderland if it tried. Located east of Los Angeles in the brilliantly-named Thunderbird Heights, Rancho Mirage is a tropical mid-20th century oasis sprawled on the edge of Palm Desert and backed by dusty mountains in the Coachella valley.
In summer, the thermometer has been known to top 38°C. The ranch’s Moroccan-inspired two-bed annexe is even fabled to have housed a certain President and Marilyn Monroe — earning its name, the JFK Wing.
- Beds: 5
- Baths: 6
- Price: $5,000,000
- Location: Palm Springs
- Features: Swimming pool, home cinema, spa, three fire pits. knightfrank.com
Raise the roof: the Rat Pack's speakeasy
Hollywood Boulevard is one of the most celebrated streets in the world — it is literally paved with famous names. Away from the tourists, it winds and winnows up to relative serenity in the peaks and outcrops of the Hollywood Hills.
This particular mansion was a prohibition-era speakeasy before passing into the hands of Peter Lawford, the dashing British actor, singer and Rat Pack member. There’s no doubt this place has seen some serious parties: Lawford was brother-in-law to the Kennedys and friends with everyone who mattered in the Golden Era of Hollywood. (If these walls could talk.)
- Beds: 4
- Baths: 5
- Price: $12,800,000
- Location: Los Angeles
- Features: Infinity pool, recording studio, al fresco kitchen, hiltonhyland.com
Accept no replicants: the Blade Runner house
With over 80 screen appearances, Ennis house has an impressive IMDb page. Its most famous appearance has to be when it sheltered Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, in 1982’s Blade Runner. From then on, this unique Mayan Revival family home has been elevated above the City of Angels.
The idiosyncratic design of this property comes courtesy of acclaimed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and is put together with 27,000 hand-cast concrete blocks. The house has also ‘starred’ in Mulholland Drive, Beverly Hills Cop II and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Beds: 3
- Baths: 4
- Price: $23,000,000
- Location: Los Angeles
- Features: Swimming pool, screening/billiards room, original restored fittings. hiltonhyland.com
This piece first appeared in our March issue, to get your own copy click here to subscribe now…
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