Wax figures to go on auction block
Aileen Stein checks out a wax figure of Cher, which is among more than 200 hand-sculpted statues that will be sold by the Hollywood Wax Museum as it modernizes. The life-size replicas made of oil-painted wax are at a Newbury Park warehouse. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Prospective buyer Peter Tomlinson walks past a wax figure of John Travolta depicting his role in the film “Pulp Fiction.” (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Life-size wax figures of Whoopi Goldberg, left, Kelly Hu and dozens of other celebrities will be sold. They are expected to fetch about $3,000 each. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Wax figures of Jay Leno, left, and Rodney Dangerfield will be up for bid. Offers can be phoned in or made on the Internet, according to the auction company Profiles in History. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
A lifelike wax figure of Princess Diana is among the statues being removed from the Hollywood Boulevard tourist attraction. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Joy Austin checks out a wax figure of Ronald Reagan, who was an actor in numerous films and television shows before he went into politics and eventually became the nation’s 40th president. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. is immortalized in wax. The singer, actor and dancer was a member of the Rat Pack, led by Frank Sinatra and also included Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Actor George C. Scott’s portrayal of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. in the 1970 film “Patton” is preserved in wax. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Life-size statues of the cast of the television show “Seinfeld,” from left, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards and Jason Alexander, are among the wax figures being sold. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
In addition to Hollywood celebrities, the wax museum is selling statues of athletes, including, from left, Mike Tyson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Muhammad Ali and Tiger Woods. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Aileen Stein checks out a wax figure of actor Tom Cruise. Also shown are statues of, from left, Steven Seagal, Arsenio Hall and Mr. T. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Marc Kruskol, who works for the auction company Profiles in History, pauses for a moment near wax figures of the Beatles -- Ringo Starr, left, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon -- as they were dressed for the cover of their 1967 album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
More than 200 life-size figures from the Hollywood Wax Museum will be put up for auction at a Newbury Park warehouse. Some of the life-size replicas are being permanently removed from the Hollywood Boulevard tourist attraction and others are being replaced with updated figures. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
