Inside Kirk Douglas & Wife Anne's Home That They Raised Their Sons & Lived in for Almost 5 Decades

Kirk Douglas and his second wife, Anne Buydens, raised their children in a stunning mansion in Beverly Hills that features the autographs of some of Hollywood's most famous actors.

The Douglas family is one of the most successful in Hollywood. The late actor Kirk Douglas paved the way for his children and grandchildren, who followed in his footsteps and are also involved in the entertainment industry.

Douglas and his second wife, film producer Anne Buydens, lived in a one-of-a-kind mansion in Beverly Hills for almost five decades until they died in 2020 and 2021, he at age 103, and she at 102.

RAISING A FAMILY IN A DREAM HOUSE

The "Spartacus" star met Buydens in the early 1950s on the "Act of Love" set in Paris, France. Although he was already a big movie star, she refused his dinner invitation.

He hired her as his film publicist and began to listen to her instead of trying to impress her. Eventually, Buydens realized that Douglas was funny and capable of doing unexpected things, and she fell in love.

The couple tied the knot in May 1954 and started having children right away. Actor and producer Peter was born in November 1955, while actor and stand-up comedian Eric joined the brood in June 1958.

Peter and Eric spent their teenage years with their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion. Douglas and Buydens bought the stunning property in 1976 for only $400,000, but it is now worth $9 million.

The house was listed for sale in December 2021, eight months after Buydens passed away at 102 and almost two years after Douglas died at 103.

The most famous aspect of the mansion is the concrete pathway adorning the outdoor garden.

INSIDE DOUGLAS AND BUYDENS'S MANSION

Located in the Beverly Hills Flats neighborhood (minutes away from Rodeo Drive and the Beverly Hills Hotel), the 1920s mansion provided comfort and privacy for the family because it is gated and hidden away from the street by tall hedges.

The 0.36-acre parcel features a main house and a detached two-floor guest house. The main structure has an ornate wooden door that opens to the four-bedroom, six-bathroom place, which offers over 4,600 square feet of single-level living space.

Douglas and Buydens might have purchased the property in the 1920s, but they kept their kitchen appliances up to date. They also included a breakfast bar and a butler's pantry.

The mansion features a fireside family room with French doors leading to a brick terrace. The family room has a huge skylight, and its dining room features a decorative stained-glass ceiling.

Some rooms have gorgeous hardwood floors and built-in shelves and cabinets. Its large sliding glass doors create a seamless indoor and outdoor feel and offer beautiful views of the property's greenery.

Each bedroom includes a master retreat with a marble bath, making the mansion's inside even more visually appealing. During hot summers, Douglas and Buydens could jump into their resort-like pool.

They also had a spa next to a sundeck if they wanted to relax even more. However, the most famous aspect of the mansion is the concrete pathway adorning the outdoor garden.

The pathway is known as the "Stars of Beverly Hills" and Douglas and Buydens's "Walk of Fame" because it includes 22 stepping stones signed by different celebrities.

Some of the most notable celebrities of the 67 who autographed the stones were Dean Martin, Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty, and Lucille Ball.

According to Nourmand & Associates listing agent Rochelle Atlas Maize, each autograph was done in person during dinner parties Douglas and Buydens hosted over almost five decades. Maize added:

"This is an estate like nowhere else in today's real estate market. It was a sanctuary of the late Kirk and Anne Douglas, and it's not hard to see why."

It was not like Douglas, and his wife had fresh concrete ready for each dinner party, though. Douglas used to ask his guests to do an autograph, and he would have that same autograph put in stone.

[Michael] described [Buydens] as an "extraordinary stepmother."

Probably the most special stone in the pathway is the family stone. It has five signs: one of Douglas in the middle and the rest of each son, including Michael and Joel, in each corner.

Before Douglas and Buydens died, they demanded that their Walk of Fame had to stay on the property. Only a week after listing the mansion on the market, Maize received over 30 offers. In January 2022, a couple bought it for $9 million.

DOUGLAS'S LOVING AND TALENTED FAMILY

Coming back to Douglas's sons, the most notable has been his eldest, Michael. Michael has a career spanning over five decades and has received many awards, including two Oscars, five Golden Globes, and one Primetime Emmy.

However, he worked hard to become a successful actor. Michael once revealed that his father was honest about his acting skills early on in his career. "You were not very good, son," Douglas told Michael after his first performance.

It probably made Michael want to be better and impress his father, and he did it. In 2018, Michael took Douglas with him when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

During his speech, Michael admitted he was proud of being Douglas's son and also joked about his age. The rest of Douglas's sons have also been involved in showbiz.

In Joel's case, he became a film producer and has worked in some classics, including "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Romancing the Stone," and "The Jewel of the Nile."

Peter is also a film producer who took home a Primetime Emmy Award for the 1988 T.V. movie "Inherit the Wind." He has also worked in "Fletch" and "Whip It." Unfortunately, Douglas's youngest son was also the first to die.

Eric worked in "The Golden Child" and "Highway to Heaven" and was a stand-up comedian. He struggled with drugs and alcohol and had some issues with the law before dying in 2004 after an accidental drug overdose.

Michael and his brothers sincerely appreciated Buydens. Michael even described her as an "extraordinary stepmother" and suggested we needed a stepparent's day to acknowledge their remarkable effort. Rest in peace, legends!