In honor of Throwback Thursday, the LA Times Home section dug through the archives to find some decades-old coverage of this house, the former family home of tough-guy actor Charles Bronson and his wife, Jill Ireland, which has just hit the market with an asking price of $19.75 million. The celebrated lovebirds, who met on the set of The Great Escape in 1962, purchased the Bel Air estate in 1968 and encountered a bit of trouble with it right off the bat: "During an inspection of the home, Ireland became separated from her 4-year-old son, Valentine, according to a 1968 story in The Times. Fearing that the boy had become locked in a ceiling-high safe, police and the fire department were called to the scene. Upon opening, however, the vault was found empty; Valentine had gone to visit his new elementary school, Bellagio Road School, just down the street." His new elementary school? That's what you call a not-so-great escape.
Sited on a .69-acre lot overlooking the Bel-Air Country Club, the Spanish-style property was built in 1929 and features seven bedrooms, nine baths, a formal dining room, a music room, a game room, a gym, four fireplaces, and a PebbleTec saline pool and spa. The listing description also notes that the house "showcases elaborate wine storage for the ultimate wine connoisseur or discerning wine professional," which makes sense, given that it's been owned since 1995 by Colgin Cellars vintners Ann Colgin and Joe Wender.
· Charles Bronson's former Bel-Air home on market at $19.75 million [LAT]
· 121 UDINE Way [Redfin]
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