Newsletter: Hot Property: Following the bread crumbs
It’s rarely obvious that a Hollywood star has bought a new house. Limited-liability company names show up as buyers. Even when the public records paper trail leads to a celebrity name, it’s unclear if they bought it for themselves or for a family member, or if the place is a personal resident or investment property.
Another popular way to take ownership of a property is in the name of a trust. Trust names may be just the address or something so innocuous there’s nothing apparent about who the owner could be. Among the column’s early trust name users was film star Nicolas Cage, who once bought a downtown L.A. penthouse under the name Green Lantern Trust.
Once you’re done checking out these star-studded transactions, visit and like our Facebook page, where you can find Hot Property stories and updates throughout the week. This leads us to another avenue to unlocking the name of a homeowner: It’s a great place to leave us a tip about a celebrity home deal.
— Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
Setting up a new/old house
Actress Angelina Jolie has purchased the Cecil B. DeMille estate, a Los Feliz mansion once owned by the early filmmaker, for $24.5 million.
The 2-plus-acre estate was home to DeMille for roughly 40 years.
The classical-style main house, built in 1913, has been restored and renovated. Within the 11,000 square feet of interior space are a grand foyer, a formal living room, a wood-paneled dining room and six bedrooms.
Formal gardens, a guesthouse, a pool house and a swimming pool complete the grounds.
The former Mrs. Brad Pitt, 41, has appeared in such films as “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2001), “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (2005) and “The Tourist” (2010).
Marilyn Monroe slept here
The Brentwood home once owned by Marilyn Monroe has sold for $7.25 million.
Set behind gates, the 1929 hacienda-style house has 2,624 square feet of living space including a formal living room with a fireplace, a family room, an office and four bedrooms. Saltillo tile floors and beamed ceilings are among the interior details.
Lawns surround a brick patio and kidney-shaped swimming pool. Mature trees, a guesthouse and a small citrus grove fill out the half-acre grounds.
Monroe, who died in 1962 at 36, starred in such box-office hits as “Some Like It Hot” (1959) and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953).
Adding iron to the equation?
A limited-liability company tied to actor and Marvel cinematic hero Robert Downey Jr. has bought a Malibu home for $3.8 million.
Built in 1972, the updated three-bedroom features ocean-facing verandas that extend the 3,400 square feet of living space outdoors.
A black-bottomed swimming pool and spa, cabana, putting green and detached garage with studio complete the acre-plus setting.
Downey, 52, has appeared as Iron Man in three stand-alone films as well as four others in the Marvel cinematic universe.
To the tune of $2.25 million
A trust linked to 24-year-old singer and actress Selena Gomez paid just shy of $2.25 million for a Colonial-inspired traditional home in Studio City.
Built in 1951 and since renovated, the three-bedroom house contains roughly 3,200 square feet of living space. There’s also a detached structure that could be used as a guesthouse or recording studio.
Tall hedges provide cover for a stone-edged swimming pool and spa, brick patio and built-in barbecue.
Gomez has two albums as a solo artist, including “Revival” two years ago. Her film credits include “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,” “In Dubious Battle” and “The Fundamentals of Caring.”
Still trying to shed it
Sometimes you don’t see results right away. Reality TV trainer Jillian Michaels has put her home in Malibu back on the market for $8.775 million, down about $1 million from when she first listed it for sale last year.
The modern-style home, built in 1990, has walls of glass and ocean-view terraces that overlook 53 feet of beachfront. Poured concrete, modern fixtures and bi-folding doors are among the interior features. A floating steel-and-glass staircase connects the 4,308 square feet of living space.
The 43-year-old is known for her work on the reality series “The Biggest Loser” and “Losing It With Jillian.” She bought the property seven years ago for $6.625 million.
Pro gains some yardage
Los Angeles Rams tailback Todd Gurley has bought an estate in a gated Chatsworth community for $1.825 million.
The Mediterranean-style house, built in 2005, has a two-story entry that opens to formal living and dining rooms. A family room with a fireplace, an office/study and five bedrooms are within the nearly 5,200 square feet of living space.
Mountains and rocky outcrops form the backdrop for a resort-style swimming pool and waterfall slide.
Gurley, 22, rushed for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2015, his first season with the Rams, earning offensive rookie of the year honors. He is a former Georgia Bulldog.
His favorite room
Comedian Jo Koy can’t get enough of the kitchen in his Studio City home. “Everything I used to dream about when I was a kid that I wanted my kitchen to look like, I’ve got.” That includes a center island, stainless-steel appliances and plenty of storage space for his coffee cup collection.
Jo Koy says people migrate to his kitchen, which includes a Thermador stove. “There’s this good energy,” he says.
From the archives
Sometimes we get a chuckle out of our old headlines. Ten years ago, James Cameron, whose ship came in when he won three Oscars for producing, directing and editing “Titanic,” put his 730 acres of Malibu ranchland on the market at close to $25 million. The headline: “A titanic swath up for grabs.”
Twenty years ago, then-Los Angeles Philharmonic music director Esa-Pekka Salonen purchased a Brentwood home for a bit more than $1.5 million. Built in the 1950s, the original 2,000-square-foot house was expanded by 3,000 square feet and refurbished in the early ’90s.
What we’re reading
Kevin Spacey’s manager, Evan Lowenstein, says it is he — not the actor — who is the owner of a multimillion-dollar Inner Harbor condo that’s been the subject of rumors linking it to the Oscar winner, reports the Baltimore Sun. Tax records list the owner as Clear Toaster LLC and state that the Baltimore home was purchased for $5.65 million.
We call this a celebrity pedigree. In the mid-70s, Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band owned the “Grand Topper” house in northeast Macon, Ga. He and singing-star Cher lived in the secluded home, reports the Telegraph in an interview with the current owner.
What defines celebrity? If you spend any time studying the grocery store checkout-aisle magazine covers, you’ve probably seen Christina and Tarek El Moussa. The Orange County-based co-stars of HGTV’s “Flip or Flop” have been buying, fixing up and reselling homes for the reality show since 2013. And while they’ve had modest ratings success, even they are stunned by the attention they’ve received since TMZ reported the couple had separated. “We’re house flippers on HGTV,” Tarek El Moussa said for an article in the New York Times. “Come on. That’s not celebrity.”
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