Direct-Marketing Mogul Bill Guthy Drops $16.2M for the Second Half of Buster Keaton’s Estate

Published: October 13, 2016 | By: American Luxury Staff

A house divided against itself cannot stand, but Buster Keaton’s property in Beverly Hills stood for 60 years subdivided into separate parcels. That’s no more, these days, after Bill Guthy bought up his neighbor’s property for $16.2 million via probate sale.

Guthy is the co-founder of Guthy-Renker, the TV direct-marketing company that brought Proactiv acne care solutions and Wen hair care products to the masses, and it’s apparently been a pretty lucrative business. Between the two Keaton properties, Guthy is now sitting on about $33.2 million worth of property.

Built in 1926 for the silent movie star, the home was later owned by two star-studded couples—Cary Grant and Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and actors James and Pamela Mason—and was rented for a time by Marlene Dietrich.

Other celebrity guests are reported to include Elvis Presley, Charlie Chaplin, Sean Connery, Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole.

Located on about a half an acre, Guthy’s new digs include 3,007 square feet of living spaces with formal gardens, a covered pavilion and a fountain. The interiors could probably use an update, but some salvageable features include exposed beam ceilings, diamond-patterned built-ins and that very cool stone lion’s head.

The buy brings Guthy and wife Victoria Jackson’s total acreage to just a hair over two. The statelier Italian villa they’ve been calling home dwarves their new house, at over 11,000 square feet.

8211 October 13, 2016 Real Estate October 13, 2016