Incredible photos from the 70s: Melanie Griffith and Lev Neil

Few people know that the famous actress Melanie Griffith at the age of 19 years lived in the same house with a huge lion named Neil. In the early 1970s, Melanie, her mother, actress Tippi Hedren, and her stepfather, director Noel Marshall, decided after a trip to Africa that they wanted to make a film about big predatory cats. The trainer suggested that they take a pet lion into their home so that they could better understand the animal, and the family agreed. Thanks to this, these amazing photos documenting the life with the lion have remained in the archives.

When you look at these pictures, it seems that life with Neil was cloudless, but, alas, the shooting of the film "Roar" (Roar) was not so successful. Then one of the lionesses who took part in the film attacked Melanie, after which the girl had to put more than 50 stitches on her face, and the cameraman Jan de Bont received a head injury, and he needed surgery. As a result, in the process of filming, about 70 people were injured from the attack of predatory cats.

Melanie Griffith at the family pool with Neal in Sherman Oaks, California.

The lion playfully bites the child's neck.

Neal grabs Melanie's leg while jumping into the pool.

Tippy is playing with Neal.

Neal was allowed not only to be in the pool, but also to lie on the bed.

Melanie and Neil sleep in the same bed in May 1971.

Hedren, known for her role in Hitchcock's The Birds, uses a lion as a pillow while reading a newspaper.

They even wrestled playfully in the living room.

Fearless Tippy and sleeping Neal.

Joint raid to the refrigerator.

The housekeeper steps over Neil, who is sniffing peacefully.

An unexpected guest.

Noel Marshall tries to work in his office with Neil on his desk.

Later, Tippi Hedren created The Roar Foundation in California to educate the public about the dangers of private keeping of exotic animals to support the Shambhala Reserve, where Neal was placed.