Long before he cemented his status as one of the most recognizable and enduring faces of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Rock Hudson’s life was defined by vastly different circumstances. Born Roy Harold Scherer Jr. on November 17, 1925, the future silver-screen legend spent a portion of his early childhood sharing cramped quarters with his parents and maternal grandparents in suburban Chicago. According to Sara Davidson’s biographical work, Rock Hudson: His Story, young Roy lived in a modest one-bedroom bungalow located at 719 Center Street. The small dwelling featured a single bathroom shared among a staggering six adults and five children, a far cry from the sprawling architectural masterpieces and grand estates that would later define his life as an international movie star.
As Hudson transitioned from his working-class roots into a dominant box-office force, starring in critically acclaimed and commercially successful hits such as Giant, Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, and All That Heaven Allows, the glaring spotlight of public fame took a heavy toll. To cope with the relentless scrutiny of the Hollywood press and fans, Hudson increasingly viewed his various residences not merely as houses, but as essential personal refuges where he could escape the pressures of stardom.
"My house is the only place I really have any privacy," Hudson reflected candidly in Rock Hudson: His Story. "Outside the house, everything I do is watched and talked about, but once I come in those gates, I can relax and let go. I love to work on my house; to tear down walls and lay bricks."
Throughout his life, Hudson cultivated several distinctive living spaces that reflected both his personal evolution and his desire for sanctuary, culminating in the magnificent estate he called home until his tragic death in 1985.
Cohabitation
During the early stages of his burgeoning career, Hudson shared a living space in Los Angeles with fellow actor Bob Preble, capturing a domestic snapshot of Hollywood life in 1952. According to accounts detailed in Rock Hudson: His Story, the two actors lived together across four different properties over a span of three years. Their final shared residence, situated on Avenida del Sol, was notably modern and forward-thinking for its era, featuring futuristic glass fixtures and sweeping, picturesque views of the surrounding valley and majestic mountains.
This domestic arrangement eventually came to an end when Preble moved out following his marriage to actor Yvonne Rivero. Over the years, persistent rumors circulated within Hollywood circles suggesting that Hudson, a closeted gay man, shared a romantic relationship with Preble. Preble appeared to address and contextualize this speculation years later in Rock Hudson: His Story, noting that while he and Hudson engaged in "a little experimenting… nothing you would call a definite relation," he felt the dynamic shifting.
"I guess he hoped the barriers would come down," Preble shared in the book. "The situation did come close to spilling over to something that would have been foreign to my whole being, my whole behavior. But before that happened, I left and married Yvonne."
9151 Warbler Place
In 1955, at the height of his rising fame, Hudson married secretary and interior designer Phyllis Gates. The couple was frequently photographed together at their Los Angeles residence that same year, a home near Sunset Boulevard that Hudson had purchased in 1954 before asking Gates to move in.
The property, a two-bedroom ranch-style house located at 9151 Warbler Place, featured a warm and inviting kitchen crafted from brick and wood. Because Hudson had famously poured virtually all of his liquid finances into acquiring the house itself, the living room was initially furnished with simple redwood lawn chairs. Lavish indoor furnishings took a backseat to the cozy, domestic rhythm of the household, bolstered by Gates’s culinary talents. Gates was widely recognized as an accomplished cook whose repertoire notably featured hearty Midwestern-style comfort foods, including savory pork chops, classic meatloaf, and traditional mashed potatoes smothered in rich gravy.
A Rocky Marriage
The marriage between Hudson and Gates was widely reported and subsequently understood to have been an arrangement orchestrated to shield Hudson’s homosexuality from a public and studio system that would have severely penalized an openly gay leading man. Decades later, Gates spoke openly about their marriage during press interviews and within the pages of Rock Hudson: His Story, maintaining that her romantic feelings during the union were genuine.
"I was very much in love," Gates recalled. "He was charming, his career was red hot, he was gorgeous, six foot six inches tall. How many women would have said no? If I had heard things about his being homosexual, I just put them in the back of my mind. So what if it was true?"
The union ultimately dissolved in 1958. During their divorce proceedings, Gates was awarded alimony of $250 a week for a duration of ten years, alongside ownership of the Warbler Place residence, which at the time carried an appraised value of $35,000.
The Beach House
Following the dissolution of his marriage, Hudson relocated to the coastline, settling into a striking beach house perched atop stilts in Malibu. Photographed in 1958 on the expansive wooden deck of the property, Hudson used the coastal dwelling as his primary residence while he was actively filming the classic 1959 romantic comedy Pillow Talk.
The location offered a uniquely immersive coastal experience. At high tide, the ocean waves would surge directly beneath the stilt-supported structure. Rock Hudson: His Story recounts how the actor fell in with a tight-knit community of fellow actors and studio stuntmen who resided along the Malibu shoreline. Actor Don Burnett fondly remembered the active, outdoorsy lifestyle they shared during that period.
"We went swimming in the ocean without wetsuits all year round," Burnett said. "We did a lot of running in the Malibu hills, then we’d come down to the beach and jump in the ocean. We went sailing and scuba diving—we taught Rock."
Hudson’s time on the coast was relatively brief, however. By the summer of 1959, he departed Malibu and spent a short period residing in Newport Beach.
9402 Beverly Crest Drive
While working on the 1961 romantic comedy Lover Come Back, Universal Studios leased a temporary residence for Hudson located at 9402 Beverly Crest Drive. The property, captured in photographs from 1963, originally belonged to prominent talent agent and producer Sam Jaffe.
The estate’s architecture drew heavy inspiration from traditional Spanish-style homes, characterized by a striking red-tile roof, textured stucco walls, and exposed dark wood beams. Nestled among rugged cliffs, the three-and-a-half-acre property immediately captivated Hudson. Despite his burgeoning superstardom, Hudson lacked the financial liquidity at the time to purchase the home outright.
Recognizing the actor’s deep attachment to the property, Universal Studios leveraged the real estate as a strategic bargaining chip during contract negotiations in 1962. The studio drafted an agreement to purchase the Beverly Crest residence from Jaffe for $167,000 in exchange for Hudson re-signing his studio contract. Hudson readily agreed to the terms, and the deed was formally transferred to his name five years later.
Home Sweet Home
Determined to transform the former rental into a deeply personal sanctuary, Hudson embarked on an extensive, hands-on renovation project. According to accounts in Rock Hudson: His Story, the actor purchased comprehensive reference books focused on Mexican colonial architecture—tomes he affectionately referred to as his "bibles"—to guide his design choices.
Drawing heavy aesthetic inspiration from traditional homes across Mexico and the American Southwest, Hudson integrated architectural elements such as dramatic stone archways, hand-painted decorative tiles, heavy wooden doors, and ceilings constructed from natural tree limbs. He filled the interior spaces with an eclectic array of decorative items, including zebra skins, traditional African masks, and towering four-foot pewter candlesticks.
The Castle
As the property evolved under his meticulous care, Hudson affectionately dubbed the estate "The Castle." The grounds and interior spaces were populated with a diverse collection of animal-themed sculptures and art pieces, ranging from giant statues of eagles and horses to an ornate lion’s head fountain. In the primary bedroom, mounted brass elephant heads adorned the walls, with their trunks cleverly repurposed to function as functional towel racks.
Another prominent and recurring motif throughout the estate was the celebration of the nude male form. Hudson displayed striking metal sculptures of the male nude, created by Mexican artist Victor Salmones, across the lush gardens. Inside the bedroom, a carved wooden headboard featured a nude male figure directly inspired by traditional Spanish mythology. Beyond its distinctive artistic details, the estate featured high-end, resort-style amenities, including a 40-foot swimming pool, a private spa, a fully equipped home theater, and an expansive outdoor fireplace.
Open-Door Policy
Despite his well-documented need for personal privacy away from the relentless public eye, Hudson maintained a remarkably casual, open-door policy at his home, frequently leaving the entry doors unlocked. Actor George Nader explained the underlying philosophy of Hudson’s domestic approach in Rock Hudson: His Story.
"There was always the chance of an encounter that way," Nader noted. "He wanted the world to enter. He liked the excitement of the unknown."
Hudson also harbored a deep enthusiasm for connecting with his massive global fan base. Joy, the actor’s longtime housekeeper, recalled that Hudson would routinely beat his own dogs to the front door when visitors or mail arrived. "When the phone rang, he’d grab it," Joy shared. "I used to say, ‘That cat will answer the phone from the casket.’"
Green Thumb
At The Castle, Hudson inherited Jaffe’s longtime gardener, Clarence Morimoto, which allowed the actor to actively cultivate his passion for horticulture. The estate’s extensive greenhouse flourished with orchids, tulips, zinnias, and roses. Furthermore, Hudson utilized his agricultural space to grow specialized crops, including limes for frozen daiquiri cocktails, fresh mint for traditional mint juleps, and peaches harvested specifically to make homemade peach ice cream every summer. The property also produced bountiful harvests of fresh corn, squash, and tomatoes.
Reflecting on his deep love for gardening in Rock Hudson: His Story, Hudson emphasized the therapeutic nature of the work.
"For real relaxation, there’s nothing like gardening," he said. "When I’m thinking about career decisions and working out new roles in my head, I like to go out in the garden and sweat! Where’s my nippers? Where’s my pruners? I’ll prune and water and plant, sometimes I’ll just pull weeds for hours, and be totally lost in my thoughts. If I had it all to do over again, I’d probably be a landscape architect."
Forever Home
The Castle remained Hudson’s primary residence for the remainder of his life, up until his death from AIDS-related complications on October 2, 1985. Following his passing, a memorial service attended by approximately 300 mourners—including his longtime friend and Giant co-star Elizabeth Taylor—was held on the estate grounds.
At the time of his death, the property was appraised at $3 million. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen subsequently purchased the estate in 1997 for $9 million, retaining ownership until his own death in 2018. Three years later, Allen’s estate listed the historic Rock Hudson residence on the open real estate market for $55.5 million.
