Madame Tussauds Hollywood

Marie Tussaud (originally Marie Grosholtz) was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1761. After her father’s death, she and her mother moved in with a doctor named Philippe Curtius, who founded a waxwork modeling company in Paris and trained Marie in the art of making waxworks. From 1780 until the beginning of the French Revolution Marie made famous portraits of celebrities including Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire, but as someone who’d worked for the royal family, she was arrested during the Reign of Terror and was only saved from execution when she agreed to make death masks of those who had been guillotined. She went to London in 1802 to show some of her pieces but ended up stuck because the Napoleonic Wars had broken out and the journey back to France became impossible. Instead, she and her son toured Britain, eventually settling in London and founding the original Madame Tussauds waxwork museum. After her death in 1850, her son carried on her work and the museum stayed under the management of her children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren until the 1930s. Madame Tussauds Hollywood opened in 2009 and is the 4th destination in the US. Today there are 23 locations worldwide, each with their own local collections of waxworks.

On your visit, you’ll be introduced to around 120 figures over the 3 floors of the attraction. Themed rooms include the Spirit of Hollywood, Modern Classics, the behind-the-scenes themed Making Movies (featuring directors as well as actors!), Action Heroes, Country Western, plus Pop Icons and A-List Party. There’s also a Virtual Room, where guests can play a virtual reality game in teams of 2-4. On the way out you’ll also have the chance to get your own handed molded in wax!

Absolutely! Some of the exhibits are specifically designed for photography and cameras, camera phones, and selfie sticks are all welcome. If you want to take photographs or film for commercial reasons, you can contact the Madame Tussauds Hollywood staff for more information. Museum staff are also on-hand to take photographs, though official photographs carry an extra charge.

It generally takes about 1 to 2 hours to see everything at Madame Tussauds Hollywood, though you can stay as long as you like once you’re inside.

Madame Tussauds Virtual Room is only available for visitors aged 12 and over. You might want to be careful with the Illusions of Horror, especially when visiting with very young or more sensitive children, but apart from that, all the rooms are suitable for children. The attraction is fully accessible by strollers.