Photograph was edited for publication purposes.; "The address is sometimes given as 1225 Benedict Canyon Drive, but the official address of the mansion today is 1740 Greenacres Drive." Harold Lloyd was born on April 20, 1893 in Burchard, Nebraska. He was an American actor, comedian, film director, producer, screenwriter, and stunt performer who is best known for his silent comedy films. He was also a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was one of the most popular actors of the silent film era along with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Lloyd's performance hanging from the hands of a clock high above the street in Safety Last! (1923) is one of the most iconic images in all of cinema. Lloyd began acting at the age of 20 and became friends with filmmaker Hal Roach. In 1919 he was seriously injured while holding what he thought was a prop bomb. It exploded, causing him to lose the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. By 1921 Lloyd and Roach moved from short films to feature length comedies. The films were popular and highly profitable, making him one of the wealthiest and most influential figures in early Hollywood. Lloyd married actress Mildred Davis on Saturday, February 10, 1923 in Los Angeles. The couple had three children (one adopted). After the silent film era, his popularity waned and he basically retired from film. In 1944 he became director and host of a radio anthology series that lasted only one season. He became involved in civic and charity work and experimented with photography. He died on March 8, 1971.; The Harold Lloyd Estate, also known as Greenacres, was designed by Sumner Spaulding and built in the late1920s. It is located in the Benedict Canyon section of Beverly Hills.The property originally included a 44-room mansion, which was Lloyd's residence until his death in 1971, a golf course, and outbuildings. The property was later subdivided into multiple lots, but the mansion, remaining intact, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In addition, the home is also a California Historical Landmark and a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. Photograph caption dated July 27, 1975 reads "Auctioneer Milton J. Wershow halts the bidding on Harold Lloyd's 15-acre Beverly Hills estate and mansion when offers failed to go higher than $1.6 million. A crowd of 1,00 persons, including 21 qualified bidders, assembled on the north lawn in front of the 44-room mansion yesterday." The auctioneer, slightly above the crowd in a cherry picker basket or something similar, has his back to the camera and is making a 'stop' motion with one hand towards the group. Another man is holding a microphone for him. The mansion is located at 1740 Greenacres Drive in Beverly Hills, near Benedict Canyon Drive.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
