The home of one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the 1940s and '50s, Rhonda Fleming, has gone on the market for $11.995 million.
Fiery Fleming lit up the screen in hit films like Spellbound, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. With the advent of color film, her red-haired, green-eyed beauty earned her the title Queen of Technicolor. Fleming's co-stars included Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, Glenn Ford, Burt Lancaster, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Rock Hudson and Ronald Reagan, with whom she made four films.
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Fleming bought the home with her sixth husband, film producer Ted Mann. The couple's opulent and serene home, one of the largest single-family villas in the prestigious gated Century Woods Estates, is inspired by grand European architecture.
Beyond the soaring domed and skylit entry, a vast two-story formal living room is flooded with natural light. The finely detailed property features epic painted murals in the entrance ceiling and all along the statement spiral staircase.
Decorative Juliette balconies overlook an indoor fountain, mature trees and a commanding fireplace — one of six in the home. On one end of the main living room is a library with a cosy fireplace; on the other end is a sunken bar that opens to a lush private courtyard with pool and spa.
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The baronial chef’s kitchen with coffered ceiling links to a spacious breakfast room with fireplace, a butler’s pantry and an elegant formal dining room.
The magnificent master bedroom suite opens to the pool and boasts a romantic fireplace and a star-quality dressing closet with center island.
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The Romanesque bath with dual vanities and commodes is highlighted by a soaking tub surrounded in trees and greenery. The level is completed by a large office off the entry, a formal powder room with lighted display cases, an informal powder room off the kitchen, and large staff quarters.
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An elevator services the second level, one of whose bedrooms has been converted into a professional hair salon. An additional bedroom suite on this level has a Juliette balcony that opens to the fountain below.
The home is listed at $11.995 million with Douglas Elliman.
Who was Rhonda Fleming?
Rhonda Fleming was a popular actress and shining star of 1940s and 50s Hollywood, and earned the nickname Queen of Technicolor.
Fleming was married six times and, in 1977, she wed movie mogul Ted Mann, film producer and founder of the Mann Theater chain. Together the couple became a philanthropic force in Southern California, founding the Rhonda Fleming Mann Clinic for Comprehensive Care at the UCLA Medical Center, the Rhonda Fleming Mann Research Fellowship at the City of Hope, and supporting a vast range of initiatives for cancer patients, women, children, the homeless and more.
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