British actress Lesley-Anne Down traded in LA’s fires and political leanings for a life in Georgia

Lesley‑Anne Down Leaves Malibu for Georgia, Blaming Wildfires and Politics

Los Angeles – British actress Lesley‑Anne Down, 72, has officially settled in the suburbs outside Atlanta, Georgia, after more than three decades of life on the Pacific coast. In a recent interview, the former “Pink Panther” star said she and her husband, director‑cinematographer Don E. FauntLeRoy, made the move in 2020, citing the escalating frequency of California wildfires and a shift in the state’s political climate as the primary reasons for leaving the state.

Down, whose career began in the 1970s with a breakthrough role on the BBC drama Upstairs, Downstairs and later film appearances in The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) and The Great Train Robbery (1978), had made Malibu her home since the early 1980s. She and FauntLeRoy bought their first house together on Point Dume in 1983 and remained residents of the Point Dume and Trancas areas for nearly 40 years.

“We had a house full of fire victims, quite frankly, because who wants to sleep on a cot in Malibu High School? And we had a big house, so that was that,” Down recalled of the period when the state’s fires began to dominate her daily life. “I can’t take this anymore,” she said, referring to the Woolsey fire of 2018, which forced her family to seek a police escort across Kanan Dume Road as flames approached their property. The fire’s impact, she said, “looked like the moon” at the time and was the final straw that convinced her they needed to relocate.

While Down has spoken publicly about the devastation caused by California’s fires, she has also cited the state’s liberal politics as a contributing factor. “We’re in this politically correct world, and you can only be one thing, and you can’t be anything else,” she told Fox News Digital. “Because of this, the United States is rushing at light speed toward what my native Britain has become.” Down has described her growing discomfort with California’s political environment as “politically very, very frightening,” and has expressed a preference for the values she associates with Southern states. She has, however, noted that her political views have evolved over time and that she is now “on the same side” as she has always been.

The couple’s move to Georgia was also motivated by career considerations. Down had recently been cast as Margaret Thatcher in the 2024 biopic Reagan, a role she described as “fortuitous” in the wake of the COVID‑19 pandemic, which she said had shrunk the pool of available actresses. The film’s production in Atlanta allowed the family to remain in the area while their son, George, a former surfer and aspiring industry professional, pursued work opportunities in the city’s growing entertainment sector.

“I had to be very honest. I cannot think of a more lovely place to have brought up our first lot of kids,” Down said of her life outside of Hollywood. “I have to say, I can’t take this anymore. That’s why we moved.”

After leaving California, the family settled on a property in the “suburban countryside” outside of Atlanta, where Down now spends her time tending to deer that frequent her property and enjoying a quieter, more traditional lifestyle. “There’s one stag, and he’s not scared at all, and I have to tell him — I say, ‘Could you please stay away from me while I put the corn on the ground?’” she said, describing her interactions with the local wildlife in her distinctly polished British tone.

Down’s statement has attracted attention from both her fans and those who follow political commentary. While she has endorsed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s gubernatorial rival, former U.K. Cabinet Secretary Steve Hilton, she also indicated that she “doesn’t miss the fires or the politics” of California, lamenting the polarization that makes “even talk about differing views” difficult.

In a broader context, Down’s departure reflects a growing trend of celebrities and other residents leaving California due to a combination of environmental threats and political discontent. While the state’s wildfires have been the subject of national attention for years, the political divide has become more pronounced, prompting a number of high‑profile relocations in recent years.

Down’s story also highlights how the entertainment industry is evolving. She said her experience on Reagan felt “very old school” compared to the “new school” of actors and productions in Hollywood. “I never really wanted to be in this industry. Life just happened,” she added. “And then I was on a roller coaster, and that is what happened to me.” The biopic is slated for a wide theatrical re‑release on September 25, returning to approximately 600 theaters.

As of now, Lesley‑Anne Down appears content with her new life in Georgia, where she continues to enjoy the company of neighbors, the serenity of the countryside, and the occasional visit from a curious deer. Her decision to leave Malibu underscores the impact that both environmental and political factors can have on personal choices, even for those who have spent the majority of their lives in one of the world’s most iconic coastal regions.