Gallery

The Hollywood career of comedian and character actor ZaSu Pitts  spanned most of the 20th century, from silent films with Mary Pickford to the Stanley Kramer 1963 comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Her greatest film successes, however, were in the 1930s when Paul R. Williams designed this Southern California home for her. Built in 1936 with seven bedrooms, eight-and-a-half bathrooms, pool, guesthouse, and a back yard overlooking Mandeville Canyon, the house appears today much as it did when Williams designed it for her. The home in Brentwood now includes a room above the garage and the master bathroom has been completely redone, but  classic interior Williams’ touches remain, including the curved staircase with intricate wrought-iron balustrade in the foyer, gentle curves carved into the ceilings, and a secret room behind a bookshelf that leads to a narrow staircase.