Orson Welles: Xanadu

Orson Welles’ real home wasn’t quite as lavish and gargantuan as the mountain and Xanadu estate Charles Foster Kane built for himself.

It was at 1717 North Stanley Avenue, Hollywood Hills. There was no chain mail fence surrounding the property. There was no W forged in steel above the gate. No moat, no zoo, no army of servants.

It was just around the corner from the hookers on Hollywood Boulevard. Southern Colonial in style, crown moldings, ceiling detailing, wainscoting, wonderful light. It’s where he shot bits and pieces of various films. It’s where he edited many projects.

It’s where he died. Alone on October 10, 1985, aged 70, after filming an interview on “The Merv Griffin Show.” He was working on a script for “Julius Caesar” that he was scheduled to shoot the next day.

Welles was found by the actor Paul Stewart. The same actor who found Charles Foster Kane dead in his bed in “Citizen Kane.”