Stand-Up Longs to Just Stay Put
Actress STEPHANIE HODGE, who starred as the angry, divorced nurse Sandy Miller on the NBC sitcom “Nurses,” has purchased her first home, a $425,000 house on an acre in the Conejo Valley.
“I’ve lived in the L.A. area for seven years and finally decided to put down some roots,” said the 36-year-old comedienne from Wilmington, Ohio.
Divorced herself, Hodge remarried about a year ago. “And now I just want to stay in my new home and nest,” she said, “but I’m pretty much on the road.”
Hodge, who recently left “Nurses” after its first two seasons, has stand-up comedy dates in San Francisco and Palm Beach, Fla., in preparation for her second comedy special for Showtime, to be aired later this year.
She will also perform in July at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, which will be televised on Showtime.
She and her husband bought a three-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot house, which she likens to an English cottage. Built 15 years ago, it took “some minor remodeling--new doors, new floors and a new mantelpiece,” she said. There are many citrus trees on the property.
The couple was represented in the sale by Merle White of Westlake Prudential Realty.
Los Angeles Police Chief WILLIE WILLIAMS was due to close escrow last week on a Woodland Hills home.
Williams, who was the Philadelphia police chief and worked for that police force for 30 years before coming to Los Angeles, and his wife bought what has been described as “a real California house, light and bright, with palm trees and a pool.”
Built about 10 years ago, it has three bedrooms and maid’s quarters in three levels and about 3,000 square feet. It sold for close to the $500,000 asking price, sources say.
The Williamses, who were represented by Barbara Robinson of Prudential Rodeo Realty, had been renting a condo in Hancock Park.
New York Mets pitcher BRET SABERHAGEN, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley before winning the Cy Young Award twice and becoming one of the highest paid pitchers in baseball, has put his Westlake Village home on the market at $3.95 million.
The single-story, 8,500-square-foot house was built a couple of years ago on nearly 2.5 acres in the gated development of Lake Sherwood.
The six-bedroom home has a batting cage in the basement; a four-car garage with room for a limo; a basketball court, and a master suite that includes a gym.
Among the more unusual features is a 17-seat movie theater with a walk-in bar. “There is a miniature train that brings drinks from the bar to the movie theater,” said Jeanne James of Firestone James (a division of Design 1), who designed the home’s interiors.
Saberhagen, 29, signed a three-year extension to his baseball contract in March at a value of more than $15 million, with an optional fourth year worth at least an extra $5 million.
He listed his home with Clive Egdes and Paul Skikne of Douglas Properties, Studio City, and Andrea Jacobs and Mark Tyoran, of the firm’s Westlake Village office. The home is being sold as part of divorce proceedings, another source said.
BARRY LEVINSON, who won an Oscar for directing “Rain Man” (1988) and also produced and directed “Bugsy” (1991) and “Toys” (1992), has finally sold his Bel-Air home, which had been on the market for almost three years.
In August, 1990, Levinson and his wife, Diana, bought the Mandeville Canyon home of actor Mark Harmon and his actress wife, Pam Dawber, for close to its $7.9-million asking price.
The Bel-Air house, a restored 1920s villa with about 10,000 square feet, was originally listed at $6.9 million. Its last asking price was $4.3 million. It sold for about $3.9 million, according to public records. The buyer was Kent Barry, an executive with Virgin Records.
LORENZO DOUMANI, who is producing the upcoming movie “Follow Your Heart” (starring Jack Scalia), has included his home in an auction this week of six Southern California estates.
Doumani plans to sell his house and move to Florida to establish a new film production company. “I’m hoping an auction sale will prove both expeditious and efficient,” he said. Sealed bids are due on or before 5 p.m. on Thursday at Kennedy-Wilson Inc., Santa Monica.
Doumani’s nearly 13,000-square-foot home, on one acre, has five bedrooms, two maids’ quarters, a circular fireplace with flames suspended on water, and a front yard with a putting green with two sand traps, a chipping area, driving cage, waterfall and pond. The asking price has been $8.25 million; the reserve price (lowest price the seller will accept) is $5.25 million.
Also among the estates to be auctioned is a 17,000-square-foot house on 3.4 acres in San Jan Capistrano with an asking price of $4.99 million and a reserve price of $2.9 million. Known as “Mulberry Castle,” the nine-bedroom, three-kitchen home has a 7,000-square-foot “Great Room” that has a 20-by-58-foot lap pool.
“We built it for five generations to live under the same roof,” said owner Bob Sontag, “but the middle generation . . . doesn’t get much use of it anymore, and the oldest generation, my wife’s father, passed away early this year. So we should part with the castle to keep from rattling around in it.”
