He was born on a hippie commune in Canada’s British Columbia, so maybe nobody should be surprised that Pablo Schrieber, best known to TV audiences as sociopathic prison guard George “Pornstache” Mendez on “Orange is the New Black,” a chilling portrayal that earned him an Emmy nomination in 2015, was drawn to the ruggedly beautiful, somewhat out of the way and tie-dyed-in-the-wool bohemian community of Topanga, Calif., in the mountains that separate Malibu from the San Fernando Valley.
Currently co-starring in the newly released feature film “Lorelei” and soon to be seen in the live-action sci-fi streaming series “Halo,” the fit-as-a-fiddle actor is looking to move on from his secluded hillside home that’s come available at a tad under $4 million, more than twice the almost $1.94 million he paid about 4.5 years ago.
All but invisible from the winding road but for a small gatehouse entrance and hidden behind a high fence under the gnarled canopies of ancient oaks and eucalyptus trees, the three-quarter-acre spread is an idyllically private and free-spirited (if high-end) paradise sequestered in a lush glade auditorily alive with rustling leaves, chirping birds and a babbling brook. There’s even a waterfall that pours over an ancient cave. This is how Robinson Crusoe might live today if he was an actor with reasonably deep pockets.
Half-brother of fellow actor Liev Schreiber — as their surname suggests, they share a father, Schreiber appears to have made few substantive changes to the generically European and vaguely Mediterranean 1940s villa that sits a long flight of exterior steps down from the street and measures in at more than 4,500 square feet over three floors. The ground-floor eat-in kitchen still has the same rough-cut stone walls, bespoke reclaimed wood cabinetry and commercial-style appliances — why change a good thing? — and the cheetah-print carpeting installed by the previous owner in one of the home’s guest bedrooms remains in place.
Burnished with Old World charms and unexpected features, the property has three massive river-stone fireplaces, one in the living room, another in the family room and a third that anchors the far end of a sun-dappled pea gravel patio notched into the steep slope alongside the house. There’s a small, windowless media room just off the ground floor living room, and, in addition to a stone-accented bathroom and haberdashery-worthy dressing room, the primary bedroom includes a cave-like inglenook carved into the hillside with exposed stone walls.
Described in promo materials as “magical,” the grounds include a dining terrace set into the treetops above the creek and a flat, faux-grassed yard where the muscle-bound actor has installed a rudimentary outdoor gym, along with a sauna and a combo hot tub/ice-plunge. There’s even an onion-shaped tent on a wooden platform for at-home glamping.
The property is listed with Olga Crawford of Sotheby’s International Realty.