Obviously, he got a hefty raise
Before Steve Carell became famous for his roles in the film “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and as a pushy boss in the NBC series “The Office,” he had a house built that he just sold for $1.5 million.
The gray-green house with white trim recalls Carell’s more modest days before the actor shot to stardom in the 2005 movie. Situated in Studio City, the house was built in 2003 and has four bedrooms and four bathrooms in 3,700 square feet. The two-story home has a step-out balcony above the front door and a tree-shaded frontyard.
It’s quite a contrast from a house Carell and his wife, actress Nancy Walls, just bought for their family. Few details are available, but the $6.5-million home is on the water in Toluca Lake. Houses on the lake start at $2 million.
The comic actor, in his mid-40s, stars in “Evan Almighty” (2007) and “Dan in Real Life,” which is also due out this year. He appeared in “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006) and will play Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) in the film version of the 1960s TV comedy “Get Smart,” now in production.
He was formerly a correspondent on the news-show parody “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” on Comedy Central and has made numerous appearances on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”
A place to put her pearl earrings
Jetting in and out of L.A. is a way of life for many actors and actresses -- including Scarlett Johansson.
No more. On a recent visit, the 22-year-old New Yorker went straight to the Outpost Estates area in Hollywood and purchased director-producer Harold Becker’s house for slightly more than $7 million. Becker is a family friend.
The house has seven bedrooms in 4,300 square feet. There is almost an acre of grounds with a pool. The home, built in 1931, is Spanish in style and has original tiles in the bathrooms and kitchen.
Outpost Estates was developed during the ‘20s and ‘30s by Charles Toberman, who also built several office buildings in downtown Hollywood. Through the years, the neighborhood has attracted residents from the film industry. Among them: Bela Lugosi, who starred in “Dracula” (1931), and actors Felicity Huffman and spouse William H. Macy.
Johansson starred in “Girl With a Pearl Earring” (2003) and “Lost in Translation” (2003). More recently, she was in “Match Point” (2005) and “The Prestige” (2006).
Becker directed “The Onion Field” (1979), “Domestic Disturbance” (2001) and a number of other films.
Pair has privacy and a tidy profit
Courteney Cox Arquette and her husband, David Arquette, must like Malibu.
No sooner did the actors sell their John Lautner-designed home for close to $33.5 million than they bought a nearby family compound with a bluff and a cove for almost $17 million.
This time they wanted privacy, local real estate agents said.
The property has four buildings, including a main house with five bedrooms and 5 1/2 bathrooms in 5,000 square feet. There is also a guesthouse with a kitchen, bathroom and fireplace and a one-bedroom, detached house with a fireplace, direct beach access and a cabana.
The compound was built in 1950. It looks as if Cox Arquette -- who likes to refurbish older homes -- has a new project already.
Mama’s family leaving Naples
Vicki Lawrence, Emmy-winning sidekick on “The Carol Burnett Show,” is on the move after 26 years in her Naples home. She has put it on the market at $5 million.
Lawrence and her husband and manager, Al Schultz, are buying a home in Newport Beach to be closer to the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. The couple has a 70-foot racing yacht named “Vicki.”
They are also buying a second home on the Westside so Lawrence can be closer to the studios, where she is in development on a new series based on her “Mama” character.
The house they are selling, on Alamitos Bay, was built in 1982 and has five bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms in 4,200 square feet. The house has three levels, two of which have balconies and bay-side views.
A service elevator, three-car garage, gourmet kitchen and 65-foot boat slip are other features.
Lawrence, 58, was on “The Carol Burnett Show” for 11 years. “Mama’s Family,” starring Lawrence, followed.
Jack and Barbara Irvin of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Long Beach, have the listing.
Cool price for a Claremont crib
The Claremont home of rapper, record producer and actor Snoop Dogg has been sold for $1.83 million.
The entertainer, born Calvin Broadus, sold his home to a Claremont physician.
Snoop Dogg, originally from Long Beach, had owned the Claremont home since 1994. The MTV “Cribs” show featured the house in 2000.
The 6,500-square-foot house, remodeled in 2006, has eight bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms, a home theater and a recording studio. The acre-sized property also has a pool, spa, pool house and tennis/basketball court.
Geoff Hamill of Prudential Wheeler Steffen in Claremont was the listing broker.
