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At Home With Don Simpson

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NOW SHOWING Simpson
Legendary Hollywood producer Don Simpson knew how to pick movies that would appeal to the masses, but his tastes in interior design were somewhat more eclectic. Ten years after Jerry Bruckheimer's hard-living partner (Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Flashdance) died of a massive drug-related heart attack at the age of 52, the mid-century modern home he owned in the '80s is back on the market for just over $3 million. It was, and still is, considered by many to be the ultimate Hollywood bachelor pad, with a number of high-profile industry types taking tours of the property in recent days.

A glimpse inside reveals how Simpson's towering box-office success enabled excess of late-Roman proportions, from the six showerheads in the master bathroom (installed to accomodate a full complement of paid female companions) to the hot tub, hidden in a closet, that connected to the outdoor pool via a subterranean tunnel. (It has since been converted back into a regular closet.) Full photo tour after the jump ...

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OFF THE DEEP END Simpson had a tunnel installed in the pool so he could swim under the house and into a jacuzzi hidden inside a closet. It has since been filled in.
Simpson sold the lavishly appointed Coldwater Canyon showplace with everything in it, and many of his furnishings, such as a $50,000 black leather couch, remain. And while it's said to have undergone well over $1 million worth of renovations since the producer owned it, many of his design touches survive. Most infamous is his $40,000, custom-made bed, which now sits disassembled in the garage. Lights and a one-inch-thick piece of glass—convenient for laying out lines—frame the edge of the bed, which is also studded with heavy-duty metal hooks for late-night play.
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PARANOIA Simpson's eye in the sky

The headboard conceals a hidden compartment that once contained a shotgun and machete, Simpson's last line of defense against intruders.

Of course, to get to the bedroom, would-be assailants would have had to make it past the bevy of long-range security cameras (which are still operational) and a labyrinth of pressure sensors concealed under the wall-to-wall carpeting; stepping on one would cause doors within the house to lock automatically. Who says money can't buy peace of mind?

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IF COUCHES COULD TALK Simpson bought this Italian low-back black leather sectional in the early eighties for $50,000
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FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE The bulletproof red front door was forged at a local auto body shop
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PASS THE ARUGULA, DEMI Where '80s movie stardom dined
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WET N' WILD The master bath is equipped with six showerheads. Simpson liked his ladies clean

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