Elizabeth Taylor Lived and Loved Here — Now You Can Too, for Only $16 Million

Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images; realtor.com

It’s been over two decades since this classic Beverly Hills mansion has been up for sale, and even longer since a young Elizabeth Taylor called the place home.

Although the legendary actress left long ago, the home still brought a sparkle of Hollywood stardust when it landed on the market for $15.9 million.

The single-story, traditional-style home was built in 1953 by George McLean, architect to the stars. Legend has it that Taylor and her second husband, British film star Michael Wilding, decided to buy the property after scaling the fence to see it for themselves.

Taylor and Wilding moved in with their year-old son, Michael Wilding Jr., in 1954, when Taylor was 22. While the celebrity couple lived there, they had their second son, Christopher Wilding, before they divorced and moved out in 1957.

Taylor’s life in the house made for some interesting stories. The actress was reputed to have bolstered her reputation for arriving late by making a grand entrance an hour after parties at the home began, emerging from behind a wall on wheels separating the bedroom from the living room.

Overhead view of Elizabeth Taylor estate

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Living room, sans wheeled wall

That wheeled wall no longer exists, but it likely wasn’t the only thing the young actress appreciated about the the house. It’s only one story, and has no stairs to chase children up and down—a big plus for a parent of toddlers.

The layout could also be a big selling point for families with young children today, or for older buyers who don’t want to deal with stairs, according to Joyce Rey, who is co-listing the property with Arlene Rutenberg.

Kitchen

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However, the true value is in the location of the 2.01 acre dual-lot property. According to Rey, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to build in front and block the view of the city and the ocean beyond. The combined lots also ensure complete privacy, buttressed by the presence of gates and walls. “It’s perfect for a celebrity who wants ultimate privacy,” Rey adds.

The home on the property measures 7,761 square feet, with six bedrooms and seven baths, and has been expanded and completely renovated since Taylor lived there. But “you could build a much larger home on the property,” Rey says, telling realtor.com® that both developers and buyers who’d like to expand have kept a close eye on the place.

Some of the home’s more striking existing features include four fireplaces, a large and sparkling pool and spa, and a center courtyard with a fountain.

Acclaimed designer and architect Budd Holden—known for creating estates for some of the biggest names in Hollywood in the 1980s and ’90s, including Barbra Streisand and Cher—was hired by the home’s current owners to design the property’s interiors as they appear today.

Pool

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Central courtyard fountain

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Taylor married eight times before she died in 2011 of congestive heart failure, at age 79. Her glamorous film career lasted for 61 years and included such classic films such as “National Velvet,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Giant,” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

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