A DeMille classic, restored
FILM director Cecil B. DeMille, a dominant figure in Hollywood for decades, lived in this Laughlin Park estate for more than 40 years.
DeMille liked spectacle, which he knew drew large audiences, especially to biblical films. When released in 1927, his film “The King of Kings” was seen by an estimated 800 million people.
A lucky few saw DeMille’s home when it was open to the public to benefit charity in 1989.
The walled and gated property was bought in 1996 by the current owners, who hired an architectural firm to oversee a renovation of the house and grounds. Work was completed in 2001.
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About this home: DeMille bought the Beaux Arts-style estate home in 1916, three years after it was constructed. In 1920, he bought the house to the west so he could have a more private office, a screening room and guest quarters. That home was widely known as the Chaplin House because it was leased for six months in 1918 by actor Charlie Chaplin and his first wife, Mildred Harris. DeMille connected the two houses with a breezeway. When DeMille’s estate sold the Chaplin House in 1988, the breezeway was removed.
Asking price: $26.25 million
Size: There is a master-bedroom suite, three additional en suite bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The 9,700-square-foot home is on 2.1 acres.
Features: The master suite contains one of the home’s four marble fireplaces, a sitting room with an entertainment center, a bathroom with period fixtures plus a whirlpool tub, a stall shower and a dressing room/closet. There is a 1,000-square-foot artist’s studio, a 40-foot-long pool, a pool house and views of the city and the Hollywood sign. The heated swimming pool has a fountain, and there are two additional fountains, one on a terrace and the other by the studio. The formal dining room is paneled in wood; the finished basement has a laundry room, staff quarters and a wine cellar. Satellite TV is in all principal rooms. In addition to the three-car garage, there is motorcourt parking for two more vehicles.
Where: The Los Feliz neighborhood of Laughlin Park.
Listing agent: Brett Lawyer, Sotheby’s International Realty, Sunset, (310) 888-3808.
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