Encino home linked to ‘Casablanca’ director Michael Curtiz seeks $5.7 million
A colonial-style mansion, reportedly once part of a larger estate owned by Academy Award-winning “Casablanca” director Michael Curtiz, is on the market for $5.7 million.
Completed in 1939 and attributed to architect Roland E. Coate, the 7,472-square-foot residence includes a main house, an attached guest house and a studio apartment for a total of 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.
An unfinished basement offers extra space.
Six fireplaces, original hardwood floors and brass hardware maintain the charm of the era.
The two-story main house with six bedrooms opens on a grand foyer with a staircase.
A marble fireplace anchors the formal living room, and the formal dining room’s French doors open to a garden patio.
There’s a wood-paneled library with built-in bookshelves, a family room that doubles as a screening room with an attached projectionist cubby and a gourmet kitchen. It features a breakfast nook, high-end appliances and a large island.
Other highlights include a dedicated wine closet, a butler’s pantry and a flower cutting room designed for arranging and storing fresh flowers.
Upstairs, the primary suite has an attached screened-in porch. It’s just off the bedroom with a marble fireplace. Amenities also include a private sauna, a steam shower and two separate dressing areas.
There are three bedrooms in the guesthouse, which has its own entrances and a fenced-in yard.
An attached studio apartment provides additional living space that can serve as a home office.
Spanning over 1 acre, the property features a backyard swimming pool and ample parking, including a three-car and two-car garage that were formerly a horse stable and tack room in Curtiz’s day.
Curtiz and his wife, Bess, bought the Encino ranch in 1946, according to the book “Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film” by Alan K. Rode, but the Southern California News Group could not independently confirm it.
According to the co-listing agent Karen Sandvig of Coldwell Banker Realty, “Originally, the property was approximately 120 acres” and had a different address than the subdivided property today.
She added that the sellers “did a chain of title requests when researching the history of the property.”
One document provided by Sandvig is the grant deed signed by Curtiz’s estranged wife, Bess Meredyth, an actress and screenwriter. The couple sold the house after they separated in 1960, according to Rode’s book.
Sandvig shares the listing with Wendi Lampassi and Taylor Penrod of Coldwell Banker Realty.
Curtiz was a Hungarian director who arrived in Hollywood in 1926 at the invitation of Jack Warner, and he became a legend. His most memorable films include “Casablanca” (1942), “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (1942) and “Mildred Pierce” (1945). He died in April 1962 at 75.