Gail Adelson; Hostess, Home Designer to the Stars

"The enterprising woman moved into interior design while working for 20th Century Fox by organizing a regular antique auction from one of the studio's sound stages. With Bertoya, she later opened a successful Melrose Avenue antique business that operated successfully through the 1960s. Calling her business Residence as Art, Adelson began her advocacy of remaking rather than razing older homes well before it became popular in the 1980s."

"Among her clients were such celebrities as Leonard Nimoy of "Star Trek" and "Pulp Fiction" producer Lawrence Bender. For Nimoy, Adelson gutted a 1930s Bel-Air house, left part of the original outer walls and turned it into a 5,000-square-foot Mediterranean villa. For Bender, she built and designed a traditional-style home in Holmby Hills."

"As a hostess, Adelson was known for her colorful parties that mixed eclectic guests including U.S. senators, real estate agents, entertainment and business executives, actors and artists. Adelson was also something of an adventurer who traveled all over the world buying primitive art. She biked across New Zealand and, accompanied by five Sherpas and a yak, scaled Mt. Everest."

Gail Adelson was a native Los Angeles resident and adopted daughter of silent film star Billie Dove. Though not directly employed in the motion picture industry beyond a brief clerical position at 20th Century Fox, she built a successful career in interior design and antique dealing. She founded Residence as Art, pioneering the restoration and renovation of older homes decades before it became mainstream in the 1980s. Working on properties in Los Angeles and Aspen, she served high-profile clients including Leonard Nimoy and Lawrence Bender. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Adelson was renowned for hosting eclectic gatherings of senators, executives, artists, and actors. She was also an adventurer who traveled globally collecting primitive art, biked across New Zealand, and climbed Mount Everest.

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