Robert Downey Jr appears to have transformed $13.4m estate into a personal zoo
Published on Oct 18, 2023 at 3:59 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Oct 19, 2023 at 1:56 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Hollywood actor and TV star, Robert Downey Jr, has transformed his Malibu estate into a wildlife refuge – and it needs to be seen to be believed.
The 58-year-old Dolittle star bought a seven-acre plus compound in Malibu in 2009 for $13.4million.
But after moving into his pad, he’s also made it home to the four-legged members of his family as he created an animal sanctuary.
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The residents: alpacas, cows, goats and pygmy goats, pigs, chickens and his two cats, Montgomery and D’Artagnan.
It includes sprawling roaming greens for his much-loved menagerie in addition to multiple homes for humans.
The famous family man lives with his wife Susan and their two children, Exton, seven, and Avri, five in the main property.
The ranch-style three-bedroom and four-bathroom home sits at the estate’s northern end at the end of a tree-lined driveway.
Previously owned by actor and model, Kelly Harmon, she redecorated and breathed new life into the home before selling.
Her touches include the remaining bleached oak floors and limestone designs.
She also converted an existing barn on the estate into a two-bedroom guesthouse.
The lush landscaping throughout is paired with a multiplex basketball and tennis court.
However Downey’s adds to the home are far more futuristic.
They include building a space-age, single-storey second “Binishell” home with domed windows.
Popular in the late 1970s,
The 6,500-square-foot home was built in 2013 just as the Iron Man trilogy was coming to an end.
“We wanted to try something that hadn’t been done before,” his wife, Susan said to the New York Times Style magazine.
“Plus, we love a character.”
Creator Dante Bini discovered that he could make a home in an hour by by “topping a nylon-coated neoprene air bladder with wet steel-reinforced concrete, then slowly inflating it.”
He hoped his creation would solve the global housing crisis.
Situated near the home that Robert Downey Jr and his family live in it has a large pool area accessed via sliding doors.
The futuristic bungalow is surrounded by succulents and manicured bushes.
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Venture slightly further afield and fenced pastures, horse stalls and riding rings house his beloved animals, allowing them to roam freely.
Because Robert Downey Jr is a lover of the good life, a vegetable garden is located near the residences.
ATVs to navigate and work the land sit alongside Downey’s expensive collection of cars.
Robert said he felt right at home taking the Dolittle role.
“I basically live on a rescue farm, and I look out and the alpacas are looking at me, and I’m like, “All right!” And it’s a new adventure, something new to try, new degree of difficulty,” he said.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
