Falcon Lair is an estate above Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills, California, that was owned by Rudolph Valentino and later by Doris Duke,who called it Falcon’s Lair. Rudolph Valentino bought the four-acre estate in 1925 for US$175,000 and named it “Falcon Lair”. This was to be his retreat from public life, his castle and the palace to share with his lady love, Natacha Rambova. Sadly, as fate would have it, this retreat in Bel Air would not be the home for Rudolph and Natacha he envisioned. She divorced him shortly after he bought the property.
Falcon Lair Rudolph Valentino House become his retreat and castle home. Decorated with his own inimitable sense of style and good taste, Falcon Lair was filled with antiques and furnishings he bought on his travels through France, Spain and Italy. Interestingly, the only room in the house that bore the stamp of Natacha was Rudy’s bedroom. It was furnished with the lacquered bedroom furniture Natacha designed for their home in the Whitley Heights section of Hollywood. After Rudolph Valentino death in 1926 the place was auctioned off to settle his debts.
After several owners, Doris Duke acquired the estate in the early 1950s to be with her companion, jazz musician Joe Castro, and to mingle with the Hollywood crowd. Falcon’s Lair became a venue for jazz concerts.
To tour celebrity homes in Beverly Hills and the surrounding areas, book one of the Starline Tours of Hollywood or purchase a StarMap Movie Star Homes Map & City Guide for a self-guided tour of Los Angeles.
