--- ---  # Something Wild: At Home With Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith and a 400-Pound Lion by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Oct 17, 2014 4:52 PM UTC  Tippi Hedren in her swimming pool, spouting water at Neil the lion, Calif., 1971. Tippi Hedren in her swimming pool, spouting water at Neil the lion, Calif., 1971.Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Oct 17, 2014 4:52 PM UTC [Tippi Hedren](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001335/), perhaps most famous for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s _The Birds_, is an actress of formidable gifts. Hitch himself said, when directing her in that classic film, that Hedren had “a faster tempo, city glibness, more humor \[than another frequent Hitchcock heroine, Grace Kelly\]. She displayed jaunty assuredness . . . and she memorized and read lines extraordinarily well.” Now 84, Hedren remains active in showbiz—for example, appearing in _Cougartown_ (as herself) as recently as 2013. But her role as an animal-rights activist and conservationist might well be Hedren’s most lasting legacy. For decades, her Roar Foundation and the animal sanctuary, [Shambala Preserve,](http://www.shambala.org/) in California have advocated for big (and not so big) cats—from lions and leopards to bobcats and servals—and she’s been honored with a host of humanitarian and conservation awards through the decades. In 1971, LIFE photographer Michael Rougier spent time with Hedren; her teenage daughter, [Melanie Griffith](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000429/) (from Hedren’s first marriage, to Peter Griffith), her then-husband, the agent and movie producer, Noel Marshall; and others at their home in California. Also in attendance: Neil, a 400-pound mature lion, who occasionally slept in the same bed as Griffith and, as these pictures attest, had the run of the house, from the kitchen to the living room to the swimming pool. Hedren has since acknowledged that it was “stupid beyond belief” to put her family at risk by allowing an animal with “no conscience or remorse genes” to roam free. On that, at least, we can all agree—even if these pictures make Neil look like the world’s biggest pussycat. Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at [@LizabethRonk](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk).  Tippi Hedren in her swimming pool, spouting water at Neil the lion, Calif., 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tippi Hedren's daughter, Melanie Griffith, with Neil the lion, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Melanie Griffith at her parents' home with Neil the lion, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Neil the lion plays with a child, Calif., 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tippi Hedren and Neil the lion, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tippi Hedren and Neil the lion, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tippi Hedren reading a newspaper beside Neil the pet Lion, in her California home. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tippi Hedren wrestling her pet lion, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Noel Marshall (husband of Tippi Hedren) works in his study while Neil the pet lion roars, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Noel Marshall (husband of Tippi Hedren) with Neil the pet lion, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Noel Marshall (husband of Tippi Hedren) working in his study while Neil the pet lion roars. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tippi Hedren at home with Neil the lion, Calif., 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A cleaning woman steps over Neil the lion in the home of Tippi Hedren and Noel Marshall, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tippi Hedren at home with Neil the lion, Calif., 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Melanie Griffith in bed with Neil the lion, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Melanie Griffith in bed with Neil the lion, 1971. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith and a 400-Pound Lion -- at Home ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3545926/something-wild-at-home-with-tippi-hedren-melanie-griffith-and-a-400-pound-lion/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3545926/something-wild-at-home-with-tippi-hedren-melanie-griffith-and-a-400-pound-lion/"},"headline":"Something Wild: At Home With Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith and a 400-Pound Lion","datePublished":"2014-10-17T16:52:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:07:14.654Z","description":"Photos of Tippi Hedren, her teenage daughter, Melanie Griffith, and Neil, a 400-pound mature lion who had the run of their California home.","url":"https://time.com/3545926/something-wild-at-home-with-tippi-hedren-melanie-griffith-and-a-400-pound-lion/","keywords":["curiosities","animals","Hollywood","photography"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14a01bb4fdaeca88/6987632606f2c18fb23319ec/141028-neil-lion-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ben Cosgrove","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt14a01bb4fdaeca88/6987632606f2c18fb23319ec/141028-neil-lion-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tippi Hedren's Pet Lion Neil","caption":"Tippi Hedren in her swimming pool, spouting water at Neil the lion, Calif., 1971.","creditText":"Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/curiosities/","name":"curiosities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3545926/something-wild-at-home-with-tippi-hedren-melanie-griffith-and-a-400-pound-lion/","name":"Something Wild: At Home With Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith and a 400-Pound Lion"}}]}] ```