A home that belonged to the beloved actor Gene Wilder for decades is back on the market.
The gorgeous Bel Air house, which Wilder purchased back in 1976, is going on the market for an impressive $12,950,000, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory star — whose Bonnie & Clyde costar Evans Evans died earlier this summer — bought the house for just $300,000 when he was hot off a string of acclaimed films including The Producers (1967), Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974) and Silver Streak (1976).
Wilder — who died in 2016 at age 83 — later sold the 2,750 square-foot home in 2007 for $2.725 million, and it subsequently had another high-profile owner: Elon Musk.
The Tesla billionaire bought the home for $6.75 million in 2013, via a trust linked to him, after he had already purchased his main residence across the street from it.
Gene Wilder’s former Bel Air home is back on the market for $12.95M, according to the Wall Street Journal. Wilder died in 2016
Wilder bought the home in 1976 for $300K and sold it in 2007 for $2.925M. He died in 2016 at age 83; pictured in a still for Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)
According to the Journal, Musk later allowed the home to go back to Wilder’s family when he sold it for $7 million to Wilder’s nephew, the filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman and his wife Elizabeth Hunter.
Although the couple couldn’t afford the home that Walker-Pearlman had grown up in — as he spent half of his time living with his uncle Wilder due to his parents’ inconsistency — Musk reportedly worked out a deal by which he would loan them most of the $9.5 million asking price so that they could buy it from the trust.
However, the couple have now fallen behind on the payments of their $6.7 million loan, and an entity connected to the X (formerly Twitter) chairman has filed a notice of default against the couple, which is the first step to foreclosing on Wilder’s former home.
While speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Walker-Pearlman was surprisingly zen about the loss of the home, and he said Musk had not been ‘adversarial or mean’ about the loan default.
‘There’s no tragedy here,’ the filmmaker said. ‘Elon gave us a magical opportunity. I have no complaints.’
He blamed major Hollywood studios and streamers’ resistance to signing new contracts with writers’ and actors’ unions — which led to months of strikes by WGA and SAG-AFTRA members before the studios eventually relented — for significantly curtailing the couple’s ability to make their loan payments.
The loan payments were also in his wife’s name, and Walker-Pearlman said she was particularly concerned about failing to pay the billionaire.
‘She did not want to continue morally owing Elon anymore,’ he explained. ‘We already owe him such a spiritual debt.’
Elon Musk (pictured in June in Cannes, France) bought the home for $6.75M in 2013, and then sold it to Wilder’s nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman and his wife Elizabeth Hunter in 2020
Walker-Pearlman — who grew up in the house — and Hunter couldn’t afford the $9.5M asking price, so Musk loaned them $6.7M to buy the home
However, the couple have reportedly fallen behind on payments, and Musk has moved to start the foreclosure process
Pearlman-Walker, who is a filmmaker, blamed the extended WGA and SAG-AFTRA for making it difficult for him and his wife to keep paying their loan installments
The loan payments were also in his wife’s name, and Walker-Pearlman said she was particularly concerned about failing to pay the billionaire
Since defaulting, the couple have listed the home — which TMZ says has four bedrooms and five bathrooms — for $12.95 million with Drew Meyers of Westside Estate Agency
Walker-Pearlman said he was still happy to have restored his uncle’s home to its former glory, even if his time residing in it was coming to an abrupt close
‘This is likely the closing of a very unicorn and beautiful chapter of our lives,’ he concluded on an optimistic note. ‘I’m not disgruntled at all’
Wilder’s home, which is modest by contemporary celebrity standards, features a refreshing kidney-shaped pool on the property
It’s also perfectly located for golf fans, as it overlooks the Bel-Air Country Club’s course
Despite that proximity, the house is surrounded by hedges and trees to give it plenty of privacy
The interior is largely similar to how the home was during Wilder’s tenure, as Musk reportedly kept it largely preserved, and his nephew subsequently restored it to its former glory
Since defaulting, the couple have listed the home — which TMZ says has four bedrooms and five bathrooms — for $12.95 million with Drew Meyers of Westside Estate Agency.
Walker-Pearlman said he was still happy to have restored his uncle’s home to its former glory, even if his time residing in it was coming to an abrupt close.
‘This is likely the closing of a very unicorn and beautiful chapter of our lives,’ he concluded on an optimistic note. ‘I’m not disgruntled at all.’
Wilder’s home, which is modest by contemporary celebrity standards, features a refreshing kidney-shaped pool on the property.
It’s also perfectly located for golf fans, as it overlooks the Bel-Air Country Club’s course.
Despite that proximity, the house is surrounded by hedges and trees to give it plenty of privacy.
The interior is largely similar to how the home was during Wilder’s tenure, as Musk reportedly kept it largely preserved, and his nephew subsequently restored it to its former glory.
It features a large, open kitchen with tasteful dark hardwood floors and white walls and cabinets that help to brighten the space up.
Despite the retro look, it still features up-to-date appliances for any amateur chefs looking to cook up a feast.
The home features a large, open kitchen with tasteful dark hardwood floors and white walls and cabinets that help to brighten the space up
Despite the retro look, it still features up-to-date appliances for any amateur chefs looking to cook up a feast
Near the kitchen is an intimate, curving bar
It has plenty of space for bartending and entertaining
Adjacent to the bar is an curving dining room with abundant natural light that would work equally well for breakfast, cocktail parties or candle-lit dinners
Wilder’s home features rustic wood ceiling beams to emphasize its classic style, and some of the walls are accented with white-painted bricks
The master bedroom gets abundant natural lighting thanks to multiple sliding glass doors, and it conveniently opens out onto the pool area, which has plenty of space for lounge chairs
Near the kitchen is an intimate, curving bar with plenty of space for bartending and entertaining.
Adjacent to the bar is an curving dining room with abundant natural light that would work equally well for breakfast, cocktail parties or candle-lit dinners.
Wilder’s home features rustic wood ceiling beams to emphasize its classic style, and some of the walls are accented with white-painted bricks.
The master bedroom gets abundant natural lighting thanks to multiple sliding glass doors, and it conveniently opens out onto the pool area, which has plenty of space for lounge chairs.
