The O’Neill House is one of the most unusual private residences in the Los Angeles area, although it is technically located in Beverly Hills at 507 North Rodeo Drive. The house is known for its highly distinctive, storybook-like exterior, with curving forms and ornate surfaces inspired by Antoni Gaudí. Beverly Hills tourism materials list it as a local architectural landmark, and several sources note that the version seen today was shaped from Don O’Neill’s concepts and completed in the 1980s, giving it the flamboyant, almost dreamlike appearance for which it is now known.
In terms of screen history, the O’Neill House is best known as a filming location in two feature films: Breathless (1983) and 8 Million Ways to Die (1986). The location is specifically identified in filming references for Breathless, and film-location sources also connect the house to 8 Million Ways to Die, where it appears as the residence of Angel Maldonado. It was also briefly in a Season 1 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 titled “The First Time”. In the scene Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) shows his ex-girlfriend, Sheryl (Paula Irvine) around Beverly Hills.
In Breathless, the O’Neill House appears in the scene where Jesse Lujack, played by Richard Gere, steals a baby-blue Thunderbird convertible. The house is not used as a major dramatic setting in the film, but it provides a strikingly stylish Beverly Hills backdrop for Jesse’s criminal, impulsive behaviour. Its eccentric design fits the film’s offbeat, rebellious energy very well, and even in a brief appearance it helps give the sequence a memorable visual character.
In 8 Million Ways to Die, the house is used much more extensively. It serves as the home of Angel Maldonado, played by Andy Garcia, and the film makes active use of the property’s unusual architecture. According to film-location write-ups and production notes, scenes were shot in several parts of the residence, including the guest house, the breezeway between the guest house and the main building, the living room, and the kitchen. The film even draws attention to the Gaudí-like inspiration behind the house, making the location feel like an extension of Maldonado’s personality: stylish, extravagant, and slightly menacing.
8 Million Ways to Die (1986)
8 Million Ways to Die
8 Million Ways to Die was filmed in both Los Angeles and El Segundo, with scenes spread across a range of distinct settings.
Breathless
Breathless was shot primarily in and around Los Angeles, and it makes use of the city’s early-1980s character rather than treating it as a generic backdrop.
The Donut Hole
The Donut Hole has appeared in Moving Violations (1985), Dragnet (1987), and Calendar Girl (1993).
Otomi Ceremonial Center
The Otomi Ceremonial Center served as the filming location for Franz Sanchez’s drug factory/laboratory in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill.
The Exorcist House
The Exorcist House refers to the private residence in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., which was used for exterior filming of the 1973 horror movie The Exorcist.
The Exorcist Steps
The Exorcist Steps are a famous 75-step stairway in Washington, D.C. renowned as the filming location for the climax of the 1973 horror film The Exorcist.
Garrett Jacobs Mansion
The Garrett Jacobs Mansion has been used in productions as Bedroom Window, Clara’s Heart, Her Alibi, The Accidental Tourist, He Said, She Said, Major League II, 12 Monkeys, Diner, Species II, and My One and Only.
Caribbean Club
Key Largo (1948) was primarily filmed on sound stages with exterior shots taken in the Florida Keys, specifically around the Caribbean Club in Key Largo.
Eastern State Penitentiary
As a filming location, Eastern State Penitentiary is used in three feature films: 12 Monkeys, Return to Paradise, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Hook and Ladder 8
Hook and Ladder 8 is a fully operational firehouse in Manhattan, renowned as the exterior filming location for the headquarters in the Ghostbusters movies.
Times Square
Times Square has served as a filming location for numerous iconic movies, with famous scenes shot in the area.
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