It depends, of course, on how you define “famous.” Quite a few celebrities do have Wilmington addresses, though.
Among the more notable is Tony Award-winning actress Linda Lavin — perhaps best-known as the star of TV’s “Alice” — who fell in love with the area while filming the TV movie “Stolen Memories: Secrets from the Rose Garden” with Mary Tyler Moore, back in 1995. Lavin and her husband, actor/director Steven Bakunas, founded the Red Barn Studio, a 50-seat theater which opened in 2007 at 1122 S. Third St., Wilmington [Map this]. As co-creative directors, they’ve staged productions of such works as Alfred Uhry’s “Driving Miss Daisy,” John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt” and David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow.”
Lavin isn’t the only actor who decided to settle. Dennis Hopper spent several years in Wilmington after filming “Blue Velvet” here. He was largely responsible for the restoration of the Masonic Temple building at 17-21 N. Front St., Wilmington [Map this] — now home to the City Stage theater — and he directed the 1994 feature “Chasers” here and in the Myrtle Beach area. Hopper hasn’t visited Wilmington in a few years, but he reportedly still owns real estate in Landfall and other parts of New Hanover County.
Actor/screenwriter Peter Jurasik — best known as the cosmic diplomat Londo Mollari on the TV series “Babylon 5″ — has lived in Wilmington with his family for nearly a decade. He’s taught classes at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, has appeared on the locally filmed series “Dawson’s Creek” and “One Tree Hill” and co-starred in the locally filmed feature “Amy & Isabelle.”
Joseph Gallison, who played Dr. Neil Curtis on the daytime drama “Days of Our Lives,” has lived in the area for many years and has been extremely active in local theater.
The late Pat Hingle bought a house in Carolina Beach shortly after filming the Stephen King thriller “Maximum Overdrive” here in 1985; he lived here until his death on Jan. 3, 2009. Nick Nolte, who filmed “Weeds” here in 1986, owned a condominium for a while at Pleasure Island.
Other current celebrity residents include “One Tree Hill” star Hilarie Burton and Henry Darrow, who played Manolito on TV’s “The High Chaparral” and who also appeared on “Santa Barbara,” “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The New Zorro.”
Clyde Edgerton, the New York Times best-selling author of such novels as “Raney” and “Walking Across Egypt,” owns a house in town and teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Among notable business leaders with homes in the area are Dr. Fred Eschelman, CEO of the pharmaceutical research giant PPD Inc., and Dennis Gillings, longtime CEO of the pharmaceutical services business Quintiles Transnational.
Quite a few celebrities tie up, at least temporarily, at Wrightsville Beach. DJ John Boy of radio’s “John Boy and Billy Show” has had a resort home on the island for many years and has participated in local fishing tournaments. Mystery writer Patricia Cornwell has spent many summers at Wrightsville and based the climax of her 1998 thriller “Point of Origin” there.
John Edwards, the former U.S. senator and presidential candidate, owns a resort house at Figure Eight Island; former Vice President Al Gore has rented property there. William Bennett, the former U.S. education secretary and federal drug czar and author of “The Book of Virtues,” has owned a house on Bald Head Island, as has “Today Show” celebrity Willard Scott.
Date posted: August 14, 2009
User-contributed question by:
Anonymous
Hi Ben,
Others I have heard rumors about over the last few years in the Southport/Oak Island/Bald Head area include sports announcer Howie Long, , Richard Gere and Vanna White. I once ran into Pat Summeral on the BHI ferry, which may lead some credence to Howie Long. I have never really believed the Gere/White stories, but supposedly they own homes at the veddy, veddy expensive western point of Oak Island. The fact there’s a Buddhist Wat here could circumstantially add credence to the Gere story, and certainly Vanna is from the area originally (North Myrtle Beach).
Just apprising you of the rumors I’ve heard; certainly not vouching for the facts.
Terry
HOW ABOUT ANDY GRIFFITH???? DID HE LIVE IN WILMINGTON DURING THE FILMING OF MATLOCK ?? THANKS
I’ve always heard George Steinbrenner had/has a shed out on Figure 8.
Andy Griffith owned a house in landfall on Landfall drive across from the Country Club. Lee Iacocca lived here for a while. Walter Cronkite used to dock his yacht here, a friend of mine’s mother was his captain.
Doesn’t John Travolta own a home off River Road and sometimes fly his personal Boeing 707 into ILM?
Bill and Kay Cowher have a home on bald head
Howie Long owns land and visits with his family when he leaves his montana ranch
Jon Kate and 8 were here on vacation and Kate is looking to buy something permanent for the privacy
Celebrities are left alone on Bald Head, their family time is respected, if you bother one you are pegged as a tourist.
I am pretty sure Ben Stiller owns a house on Figure 8. Considering he told me this himself when he was filming ‘The Marc Pease Experience’ here in Wilmington. This conversation occured on set in March 2007. ‘So have you gotten a chance to visit Wrightsville Beach?’ his reply ‘Well no I own a house on Figure 8 so I stay there’.
Andy Griffith lived on Figure for years. Also his name is still on the mailbox there as well as the one next door (he owns 2 houses side by side). Also Bob Timberlake, the artist, had a home there through the 80’s.
Who is the photo with this headline on the home page supposed to be? Nobody famous that I recognize. I guess famous is different these days.
The photo that ran with the headline is Hilarie Burton, of One Tree Hill.
My husband Chris Lubben of Chris’ Cosmic Kitchen once cooked for Howie Long and his family at their Bald Head Island home. He was a personal chef at the time and he didn’t know who the client was until the golf cart ride to their home. So at one time, they were in the area. Not sure if they still come back, this was a few years ago.
I had always heard that Andy Griffith owned the corner property on Airlie Road as you go around the bend – large property with a barn and horses – any truth to that? At one time, I knew he was regularly seeing a local chiropractor. I always always heard that Michael Jordan owned a house on Wrightville Beach – near Shell Island. Any truth to that?
My wife used to work at the gold’s gym, near Wilm nissan and said Katie Holmes used to come in from wrightsville and work out in the mornings. Unfortunately i was never able to personally verify this. of course, this was during Dawson’s Creek days, you know, when she was still smoking hot!!!
If you are going to include Fred Eschelman (PPD, Market Cap around $429M) as a famous person with a house in the area, you need to include Medtronic (MDT, Market Cap around $44B) CEO, Bill Hawkins who is rumored to own a house at Wrightsville Beach… wouldn’t it be nice if he brought some MDT operations to the area?
And don’t forget Henry Darrow who starred in three versions of “Zorro” (he was also the first Hispanic to play the role) and is also known for his role in “High Chaparral.”
Oprah Winfrey also owns a house on Topsail Beach.
Andy Griffith has never owned the property on Arlie with the horse barns. I know someone who keeps their horse there and it is family owned by a local family.
John Mack, CEO of Morgan Stanley, has a house on figure 8. Its got to be the biggest house on the island, if not one of the biggest in wilmington.
Actually, Lee Iacocca did not live in Landfall…his ex-wife Peggy Iacocca lived there, though. (quite a few years after the divorce)
Not only US celebrities call Wilmington home. Pakistan’s top model spends her summers at her mother’s house in Wilmington.
Just thought I would add that Dennis Hopper has passed away.Dennis Lee Hopper, actor, photographer and painter, born 17 May 1936; died 29 May 2010.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/dennis-hopper-actor-and-iconoclast-has-died/
Thanks