Jay Sebring House – A House Packed With History!

The Jay Sebring house is located at 9820 Easton Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California. Jay was a celebrity hairstylist with a star-studded client list that included the likes of Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, and Quincy Jones.

The house owned by Jay Sebring, located in Beverly Hills.

Sebring cutting the hair of Steve McQueen.

At the age of just 35, Jay Sebring was massacred alongside Sharon Tate and others at 10050 Cielo Drive by the Manson Family.

While the Jay Sebring house was never built by Jay, in fact, it was built way back in the 1920s, the home has become part of Jay Sebring’s story. However, Sebring was not the only celebrity to live there and suffer terrible luck, movie star Jean Harlow also lived in the property, when her husband was found dead in what was deemed a suicide.

THE HISTORY OF THE JAY SEBRING HOUSE

9820 Easton Drive is a Bavarian-style house built into the hills off Benedict Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills. Film director Paul Bern owned the property during the 1920s and 30s. In 1932, after marrying actress Jean Harlow, then 21 years old, the new bride moved into the home with him.

Jean Harlow and Paul Bern stood outside the property in 1932.

The couple inside the home, unfortunately not many photos of the interior at the time exist.

However, just two months after marrying Jean Harlow, on September 5 1932, Paul was found dead in the home from a gunshot wound to the head. He was just 42 years old.

The X in the middle of the photo is where the body of Paul Bern was found.

Police discovered what looked like a suicide note, it read:

Dearest Dear,

Unfortunately, this is the only way to make good the frightful wrong I have done you and wipe out my abject humiliation, I love you.

Paul

You understand last night was only a comedy.

The suicide note left by Paul Bern was printed in the newspaper the day after his death.

The night before his death, Bern was visited by his ex-partner Dorothy Millette. Bern had financially supported Millette, who suffered from mental and emotional problems and ended up in Connecticut sanatorium.

Dorothy Millette, the ex-partner of Paul Bern.

Her body was found in the Sacramento River just two days after Paul Bern’s death. It was later determined she had committed suicide by jumping from the Delta King steamboat.

The Delta King steamboat from which

Despite this strange coincidence, and Harlow claiming she knew nothing about what was meant in the suicide note, the coroner ruled his death suicide. Harlow never spoke publicly about the death, she herself died just five years later, at the age of 26, from kidney failure.

In 1960 the investigation into Paul Bern’s death was reopened, however, it was soon shut when no new evidence came to light.

In 1990, film producer Samual Marx, an old friend, and colleague of Bern published a book giving his own views on his death. He claimed on the morning of September 5 1932, before the police had been notified of the discovery of Paul’s body, he witnessed Irving Thalberg tampering with evidence.

Irving Thalberg on his wedding day, accused by Marx of tampering with evidence.

Irving Thalberg was a film producer, known at the time as “The Boy Wonder” for his ability to select scripts and choose actors.

The next day Marx was told by studio executives the case would be ruled “suicide because of impotence” in order to avoid a scandal that might ruin Jean Harlow’s career.

Marx went on to claim that he was in fact murdered by his ex-partner, Dorothy Millette, who then went on to commit suicide. Why Thalberg was allegedly tampering with the evidence we are simply not sure. However, if you wish to read the book you can find it here: Deadly Illusions: Jean Harlow and the Murder of Paul Bern.

Deadly Illusions – The book written by Samuel Marx

In the years after Bern and Harlow lived in the property, it has been reported that another suicide (assuming Paul did commit suicide and wasn’t murdered) took place in the property as well as someone drowning in the swimming pool. However, the details of another suicide and drowning at the home are sketchy at best.

In 1963, the ill-fated home was purchased by celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring. By this time Jay was a successful fixture in Hollywood. Between 1964 and 1966 he was in a relationship with actress Sharon Tate.

Sebring and Tate were together for a couple of years during the mid-1960s.

Sharon spent a lot of time at Jay’s house while they were dating, even living there for a short time. There is even a surviving video of Jay Sebring and Sharon Tate having a party at the home which you can see here.

Despite parting ways in 1966, Tate and Sebring remained close friends. Tate went on to have a relationship with French-Polish film director Roman Polanski.

In 1969, a heavily pregnant Tate (26), Jay Sebring (35), and three others were brutally murdered by the Manson Family at her home at 10050 Cielo Drive. The Manson Murders soon became the most infamous murder spree in American history.

Members of the Manson Family after being arrested for the murder of Sharon Tate and Jay Sebring.

After Sebring’s murder in 1969, the house was sold to a doctor who had always admired the house. Jay’s parents, still hugely upset with the death of their son, helped with the sale of the property.

They wanted to ensure that it wouldn’t be purchased by a rock band, hippies, etc. Many of whom were making offers for the house because of its connection to the Mansons.

THE HOUSE TODAY

The Jay Sebring house has now been split into two properties, the main house, and the carriage house.

The main house now has the address of 9810 Easton Drive, Beverly Hills. Despite this, the house is actually accessed off the gated Rimmele Drive. The carriage house is now 9820 Easton Drive, Beverly Hills.

Access to the Jay Sebring house is through this gated road.

Unfortunately, very few photos of the main property as it looks today exist. The current owners obviously value their privacy and as far as we know, the property has not been on the market since 1970.

One thing we do know is the owners had issues with ‘Manson fans’ coming to visit the property. One morning the owner even caught two of them having sex in a car on his drive.

Something we know about the interior is it features a bookcase that swings out with a hidden bar behind it. This was due to the fact it was built during the prohibition of the 1920s. Apart from that, the interior of this home remains a mystery.

The exterior of the property as it looks today, including the swimming pool.

While the carriage house doesn’t hold anywhere near as much history as the main house, this part of the property has been on the market more recently. In 2013 the carriage house, which also served as a home for staff such as housekeepers, sold for $995,000.

The listing stated the property was an 8,300 square foot lot with a house offering two bedrooms. It also features a large living/kitchen/dining area and a delightful sun porch. The properties grounds are littered with citrus, avocado, and pomegranate trees.