As I have mentioned a few times over the past couple of months, fellow stalker E.J., from The Movieland Directory website, recently published an e-book about Old Hollywood titled Unscripted: Hollywood Back-Stories, Volume 1 (which you can purchase on Nook here and on Kindle here). The book, which I devoured in less than a day, features countless historical locations, one of which – the Beverly Hills house where Rebel-Without-a-Cause actor Nick Adams was found dead in 1968 under “mysterious and still-unexplained” circumstances – I thought would be perfect for my Haunted Hollywood postings. So I dragged the Grim Cheaper right on over there just a few days later.
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While I have never actually seen Rebel Without a Cause (I know, I know – and I call myself a stalker!), Unscripted features an entire chapter dedicated to the flick and the premature death of four of its young stars. [James Dean passed away in a car crash on September 30th, 1955 at the age of 24. Sal Mineo was stabbed to death in 1976 at age 37 in what appeared to be a robbery gone wrong. Natalie Wood famously drowned off the island of Catalina at the age of 41 in 1981. (You can read my blog posts on the hotel where she stayed the night before her death here and the restaurant where she ate one of her last meals here.) And Nick Adams was found dead of an apparent drug overdose on February 7th, 1968. He was 36.] When I read the sentence, “In a bizarre coincidence, each would die tragically, at a rate of one per decade, before and after the film’s October 27, 1955 release”, I was immediately intrigued and decided that I just had to stalk Adams’ then home.
At the time of his death, Adams, who was going through a divorce, had just returned from Rome after his latest movie, Murder in the Third Dimension, had been scrapped shortly before production was set to begin. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Nick rented a two-story, three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,810-square-foot Cape Cod-style residence in the Trousdale Estates area of Beverly Hills. As the story goes, he was supposed to have dinner with his divorce lawyer, former L.A.P.D. officer Ervin “Tip” Roeder, on the night of February 7th, 1968. When Nick failed to show up at the restaurant, Roeder headed over to the 1957-era house to check on him. And while Roeder did not notice anything amiss, when no one answered his many knocks at the door, he headed to the back of the property, forced open a window and ventured upstairs, where he found Nick, fully clothed, sitting on the floor next to his bed, his eyes staring blankly ahead. The actor was dead at 36. You can see a photograph of Adams being removed from his home on the Find a Death website here.
The coroner, Dr. Thomas Noguchi, who also performed the autopsies of Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy, Sharon Tate, and (coincidentally) Natalie Wood, found a lethal combination of paraldehyde (an anticonvulsant) and Promazine (an antipsychotic) in Adams’ system, which he believed would have killed the actor instantly. His death was ruled an accidental suicide, even though, according to several sources, including John Austin’s 1970 book Hollywood’s Unsolved Mysteries and Ken Schessler’s 1997 book This is Hollywood, no pill bottles or syringes were found in the home. Of the death, Schessler says, “To this day, police are still puzzled as to how the drugs had entered his system, as no means of ingestation were ever found near his body.” It appears that someone’s wires got crossed somewhere along the way, though, because according to the February 8th, 1968 edition of the Los Angeles Times, “a number of stoppered bottles containing prescription drugs were in a medicine cabinet.” Either way, the truth of Adams’ death seems to have been buried along with the young actor and the circumstances surrounding it the fodder of stalkers like me ever since.
You can find me on Facebook here and on Twitter at @IAMNOTASTALKER. And be sure to check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic.
Big THANK YOU to E.J., from The Movieland Directory website, for informing me of this location! 
Until next time, Happy Stalking!
Stalk It: The house where Nick Adams died is located at 2126 El Roble Lane in Beverly Hills.
Nick Adam’s lived in jersey city New Jersey for a while when he was young, the man who gave nick Adam’s father the job as janitor in the apt building in jersey city was a good friend of my uncle’s, he said they lived there for about 3 yrs before moving away nick went to California to pursue a acting career, RIP nick Adam’s God bless your soul.
Today is the first time I ever read or heard about you. I like that you are a no nonsense type of girl and shoot
Stright from the hip.The thing that bothers me ,Is the Adam’s case had no investagation”WHY ?
I just got the complete series The Rebel on DVD. It is a very powerful and well written/acted 30 minute series. Researching the Nick Adams death is a bummer I never knew he died so young.
Nick was a very good actor. He also played in one of the very first episodes of Wanted Dead or Alive with Steve McQueen. Nick played a bad guy that was partnered with Michael Landon who as we know both went on as good guys in very successful Western themed series.
I agree, Miggy. We recently also purchased The Rebel. Very fine acting, wonderful series – Nick fit the part so well. My daughter is a 13 y/o- 5 footer. (hoping to grow a bit more for High School BB). She loves to watch actors like Nick that were smaller and who’s character would stand up to the taller guys. His comeback of “Don’t Push” helps her to always remember she can stand up for herself, be herself, no matter what others may think. Also, have Wanted Dead or Alive and saw this episode of him. I also, was sorry to hear he had passed at such a young age. Hoping to purchase Allyson’s book “The Rebel and The King” in the near future. It sounds so enlightening. My mom was an Elvis fan. It’s easy to judge others, not really knowing how we might act or represent ourselves, if put in the same position. God is the Judge.
Are you aware of “The Rebel and the King” by Nick Adams? My father wrote this manuscript about his friendship with Elvis Presley during 1956. I published it last year. Check it out!
The story shows the heyday and light side to my father’s legacy. Thanks! Allyson Adams
Allyson-how did your dad and Steve McQueen get along. They and Michael Landon seemed cohesive on “Wanted: Dead or Alive”…one of my favorite shows ever.
Just want to say how much I always enjoyed watching Nick Adams in various productions but especially on “The Rebel.” I was in Jr. High when it was on tv and I had the biggest crush on him back in the day! There were about 6 of us girlfriends who hung together during lunch and we all had our special “crushes” between the Bonanza guys, Clu Gulager (Billy The Kid) and Nick. He was mine. LOL I was flattered to be told that we shared a resemblance–no doubt the profile and jawline to some extent. We also had a high school guy who could’ve passed for Nick’s double, which was interesting. Naturally, I sent fan letters and received a couple of nice signed photos of him which I still have to this day.
They actually also found that his brother was a doctor who’d prescribed the sedative to him, which pointed to accidental overdose. It’s a beautiful house, though. And I agree, see Rebel Without a Cause. It’s actually not one of my favorite movies, there’s some kind of weird over acting on everyone’s part, but I still like it a lot, and love the scenery in it. Actually a great stalking place would be the “abandoned mansion” they find later in the movie.
Never mind, apparently it was torn down shortly after the movie. Damn.
Camila – would you happen to know where this, “abandoned mansion” was? LIke a address or
ans estimated area of where it was?
I have been trying to find the answer to this for like 25 years…
Thanks
Apparently it was the Getty Mansion, 641 N. Irving Boulevard in Los Angeles, and was also used in the movie Sunset Blvd.
Thank you, Camila
As far as the mansion goes, I understand that it was on Irving at Wilshire Bl, which would put the adderess at 641 South and not North.
Actually everything points to a suicide not an accidental overdose. Families just don’t want to admit that a loved one could kill themselves and that they were going through pain and that those close to them did not see.
You MUST watch Rebel Without a Cause…:)
I saw the movie, it was powerful drama.
Hello,
Today, I seen a fewis scenes from the western television series, The Rebel, and noted Mr. Adams. Looking him up online, I am much unfamiliar with the actor. Then, I noticed your web site on Google search, the title of your blog posting caught my attention. Nick Adams is a couple of years older than my father, thank you for the posting.