Two-time Academy Award winner Jack Lemmon was one of the busiest and most popular movie actors in the last half of the 20th century.
In 1971, Lemmon purchased a Malibu Beach house for his family in the Broad Beach celebrity-favoured section of Malibu Beach. The family enjoyed it for decades, creating many happy memories.
The stunning beachside mansion is now for sale, priced at US$13.45 million.
“The house was designed and built, with my father’s painstaking attention to every detail,” Lemmon’s daughter, Courtney Lemmon said.
“He and my mother created a private sanctuary for us and also a place to entertain friends in a most relaxed way.”
During the Lemmons’ time at Broad Beach, the friends included co-stars and movie people such as Walter Matthau, Billy Wilder and Frank Sinatra.
“There were countless dinners outside, poker games with the Sinatras from down the road, parties at the Wilders next door, family Thanksgivings with the Matthaus, and many Fourth of July celebrations,” Ms Lemmon explained.
“My father even put a putting green on the dune to practice his golf swing (with biodegradable golf balls, of course). The memories of growing up on Broad Beach are indelible and a deeply cherished part of my family’s story.
“This was our oasis to recharge, and reconnect. I hope that Broad Beach brings as much joy to the new owners as it did to us.”
The brick construction, different from most of the Malibu beach homes, displays Lemmon’s appreciation of traditional building while at the same time demonstrates the open elegance and casualness of the famous beach town.
Grounds have both a traditional walled garden with a tiled saltwater swimming pool and fountains in the front and a sandy beach-style enclosure in the back, before opening out to the main beach and ocean.
Designed to capture the ocean views, the interior has multiple fireplaces, carved wood and is bright and cheerful.
A rooftop deck provides panoramic views out to sea and down the coast.
The three-bedroom, four-bath home also features a detached guest studio.
Lemmon starred in both comedies and dramas in more than 60 movies, many of which are considered classics today.
Some favorites include Some Like It Hot (for which he won the year’s Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), The Apartment, Days of Wine and Roses, The Odd Couple, Glengarry Glen Ross, Mister Roberts and The China Syndrome. Lemmon died in 2001.
Broad Beach has long been a haven for celebrities including Ray Romano, Dustin Hoffman, Pierce Brosnan, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Mel Gibson and Robert De Niro.
It is also a convenient walk to the local market, coffee shops, restaurants, and more at Trancas Country Market.
