Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall’s hilltop home offers cinematic views over the Pacific Ocean
Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, partners personally and professionally, are seasoned experts at bringing blockbuster films to the silver screen, and now, along with Compass agent Stan Richman, they aim to produce the $18.5 million sale of their Malibu home.
Kennedy, an eight-time Oscar nominee known for producing E.T., Jurassic Park, and Star Wars, currently serves as president of Lucasfilms, while Marshall, whose credits include Back to the Future and Jason Bourne, runs the couple’s production company, The Kennedy/Marshall Company. In 2019, they were jointly awarded the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award—Kennedy is the first and only female winner of the prestigious honor—and their latest joint venture, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was released this summer.
The Hollywood power couple, who also own a home in L.A.’s rustic Sullivan Canyon that was previously owned by Bea Arthur, purchased their Malibu getaway in 2015 for $9.75 million, which means they’re looking to just about double their money on the spectacularly sited residence.
The slightly shy of 4,000-square-foot, single-level home, on the high side of a steeply sloped 2.2-acre parcel and hidden behind a tall hedge at the tail end of a sinuous cul-de-sac high above La Costa Beach, makes the most of its high perch. Entry is through a wind-protected, sunken courtyard bursting with lush plantings. Inside, most rooms have huge sliding walls of glass that fill them with natural light and frame gorgeous ocean and coastline views over the infinity-edge swimming pool.
The—ahem—cinematic sunset views take center stage in the serene and relaxed living room, where the crisply tailored and clean-lined interiors are moderated with natural materials. There are art-friendly white walls, a vaulted exposed wood ceiling, matte-finished wide-plank wood floorboards, and a minimalist fireplace set into a thick concrete column. In the eat-in kitchen, gleaming stainless-steel backsplashes and appliances are balanced with pale wooden cabinets, and in the dining area, glass sliders peel open to a grassy garden.
Among the four bedrooms and three bathrooms is the spacious main suite. In the bedroom, there’s a fireplace in the corner and a wall of sliding glass doors that open to a small private patio. Beyond the dressing area, with a 20-drawer built-in dresser, and the bedroom-sized walk-in closet, the sleek bathroom features a floating double-sink vanity with a jungle-green stone counter, an open shower, and a soaking tub set into a windowed corner with a leafy view of the gardens.
Most rooms flow easily out to the backyard, where, in addition to the swimming pool and spa, there’s a pergola-shaded dining terrace, a tree-shaded patio with an outdoor fireplace, an outdoor shower, and, nestled into the slope below the pool, a seating area that gives the impression it’s floating on the ocean.
The property transfers with membership rights to the low-key La Costa Beach and Tennis Club, which maintains a charming oceanfront clubhouse with barbecue facilities, bathrooms, and a beach volleyball court. The club’s three lighted tennis courts are about half a mile away.
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