Hot Property: Sylvester Stallone buys $7.2-million lakefront property in Thousand Oaks

Is there anything more macho than Sylvester Stallone running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the 1976 movie “Rocky”? Fast-forward to 2008 and Mr. Machismo may soon be running around Lake Sherwood in Thousand Oaks.

He’s bought two parcels, one with a house on it for the moment, that will give him a good chunk of lakefront land on which to build a weekend retreat. His main residence reportedly is in Beverly Hills.

He bought a 500-square-foot lakefront property that was listed at about $5.5 million and the adjacent lot, giving him another 150 square feet of lake frontage, that was listed at about $1.7 million.

The house is old, and it is expected that Stallone will tear it down. The lots have many mature trees and unobstructed water views.

Stallone is no stranger to the neighborhood. He previously owned a large equestrian home in nearby Hidden Valley.

Lake Sherwood is home to many celebrities, especially sports figures. Baseball legend Lenny Dykstra recently listed his Lake Sherwood Georgian estate for $24.9 million. That house was owned by hockey great Wayne Gretzky.

The community is gated and affords a high degree of privacy. The lake itself is used for boating, fishing and swimming.

Stallone, 62, a Hollywood A-lister who commands top dollar for his movies, remains best known for playing boxer Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, a soldier who specialized in revenge missions and rescues. Both characters have become part of the pop culture lexicon. The Philadelphia museum steps are now known as the “Rocky steps,” and thousands of tourists visit each year to pose where Rocky punched the air in victory.

Jordan B. Cohen, estates director of Re/Max Olson & Associates in Westlake Village, represented Stallone in the purchases. Bill Carter of Sotheby’s International Realty, Westlake Village, and Kevin Lehman of Prudential California Realty, Thousand Oaks, listed the properties.