Blog Post

First published in the Los Angeles Times.

The longtime Beverly Hills home of actress-writer Renée Taylor and her late husband, actor-playwright Joseph Bologna, is for sale at $8.6 million.

Set on a third of an acre, the 1926 Tudor Revival was once occupied by Shirley Temple's mother-in-law and often visited by Temple and her first husband, John Agar.

Taylor was attracted to the home's garden when she and Bologna bought the property in 1975. She later spent two years renovating the property to replicate parts of celebrity homes and places that she admired.

The inspired design details include an exact replica of actress Greer Garson's bathroom from her former Bel-Air home and dining room chairs favored by Barbra Streisand.

The chandeliers and mirrors she added were like those she had seen at the Palace of Versailles, according The Times' archives. Red and gold curtains decorated in pearls and crystals evoke London's Savoy Hotel.

The two-story house has four bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, a wood-paneled office and maid's quarters in 4,600 square feet of space. French doors and windows in the kitchen take in garden views.

The property also has a custom pizza garden, where Taylor would host annual pizza parties for the Academy Awards. Other gardens feature collections of bamboo from around the world and exotic plantings.

A "fairy garden" on the side of the home is a favorite among children.

Sally Forster Jones of Compass holds the listing.

Taylor, 85, teamed with her late husband to write the Broadway comedy "Lovers and Other Strangers" and the film "Made for Each Other," receiving an Oscar nomination for the 1970 film adaption of the former. As an actress, she played the mother of Fran Drescher's character on the sitcom "The Nanny" and guest-starred on "How I Met Your Mother."

Next month, Taylor is scheduled to appear in Chicago with Lainie Kazan and Connie Stevens in "Hollywood Confidential," a one-night performance about the men the three women have dated. In June, she will embark a one-woman show in New York.

Bologna, who died last year at 82, is also remembered for notable roles in the comedy films "My Favorite Year" (1982) and "Blame It on Rio" (1984).