Did you know Elon Musk once owned Willy Wonka’s residence? |
Elon Musk, the wealthiest person, is involved in multiple industries and often makes headlines for the same. From being in a ‘toxic’ relationship with the controversial figure Amber Heard to being the Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, Elon Musk has covered the possible grounds.
In the real estate industry, Elon Musk had an opportunity to buy Gene Wilder, the phenomenal actor who played Willy Wonka’s residence – and he grabbed it.
Gene Wilder and his house
After the success of ‘Young Frankenstein’ (1974), Gene Wilder bought the Bel-Air house with 2750 yards for around $300,000 in the year 1976, according to the Wall Street Journal. He lived there with his wife, Gilda Radner, until she died in 1989. Furthermore, the ‘Willy Wonka’ actor sold the house in 2007 for around $2.7 million.
Elon Musk took over the house
In 2013, a trusted link of Elon Musk scooped and bought the home, which was located across the street from Musk’s residence. In 2020, the owner had to sell the property for $9.5 million. Wilder’s nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman and his wife, Elizabeth Hunter, wanted to buy the house as Jordan spent his childhood in the house with treasured memories – but they couldn’t afford the price.
Elon Musk in the rescue – the SpaceX owner dropped the price to $7 million and decided to loan $6.7 million (most of the amount) to the actor’s nephew with the condition that they would keep the ‘soul’ intact. Four years into the loan, the couple had defaulted the amount and Musk began the foreclosure process that allowed him to force a sale of the home within 90 days.
“There’s no tragedy here. Elon gave us a magical opportunity. I have no complaints,” Jordon Walker-Pealman confessed to the Journal.
At the time of sale, Elon Musk listed the sale for around $12.95 million in 2024, according to gizmodo.com.
Who was the great Gene Wilder?
The late Gene Wilder, the famed actor and comedian, left his indelible mark in Hollywood with his films like ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,’ ‘Young Frankenstein,’ ‘Bonnie & Clyde,’ ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil,’ ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ ‘The Woman in Red’ and many more.
