As good as it gets in Pacific Palisades
Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr., who stars in the upcoming comedy film “Boat Trip,” and his wife, Sara, have put their Coldwater Canyon home on the market at just under $1.3 million.
The couple decided to sell their canyon house because the Pacific Palisades home they bought for about $3.5 million in June 2000 is ready for occupancy, now that it has been refurbished and expanded. It was built in the 1940s.
The canyon home was built in 1955 and is behind gates. It has four bedrooms in 2,900 square feet. The country ranch-style residence is on slightly more than an acre and has a pool plus canyon and city views. The house also has a media room, breakfast area, service entrance and high-pitched ceilings.
The actor, 35, was born in the Bronx but grew up in Southern California. When he was in fifth grade, he and his mother, brother and sister lived in a motel in suburban Orange County after his parents were divorced. The actor became a first-time home buyer in 1994 with his purchase of a Studio City home for $610,000. He was a bachelor then but married soon afterward.
His first starring role in a film was in “Boyz N the Hood” (1991). He then appeared with Tom Cruise in “A Few Good Men” (1992) and played Paul Hogan’s sidekick in “Lightning Jack” (1994). Gooding won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in “Jerry Maguire” (1996).
Since then he has appeared in such films as “As Good as It Gets” (1997), “What Dreams May Come” (1998), “Instinct” (1999) and “Pearl Harbor” (2001). He starred in “Men of Honor” (2000) and “Snow Dogs” (2002).
Gooding co-stars with Ed Harris and Debra Winger in the movie “Radio,” due out in the fall, and he will appear in “The Fighting Temptations,” expected to be in theaters Aug. 8. He will produce the comedy “Don Cornelius” through his recently formed Feel Good Productions. “Boat Trip” is scheduled for release March 21.
Jason Froehlich, with the Carswell Collection at Coldwell Banker’s Beverly Hills North office, and Beth Styne of Coldwell Banker, Hollywood Hills, have the listing. Froehlich also represented the Goodings in buying their Palisades property.
Designing woman
makes her mark
Annie Potts, who played M.E. Sims in the Lifetime series “Any Day Now” (1998-2002) and was the voice of Bo Peep in the “Toy Story” movies, and her husband, director-producer Jim Hayman, have put their Tudor-style home in Los Feliz on the market at close to $3.4 million.
Potts, who is known for redoing houses, restored and updated this one, which was built in 1926. She and her husband have lived in it for several years and are selling because they are ready for a change. They intend to stay in the L.A. area.
Their home, perched on its own hilltop with lots of sunlight, has six bedrooms and six bathrooms in 4,700 square feet. The master suite has city views and a private terrace. The home has six fireplaces, including one in an outdoor room, which has a canopy and a sitting area with sofas and chairs. The main house has oak floors, high ceilings and mahogany paneling.
The compound also has a basement, library/study and guesthouse, which has a kitchen. The half-acre grounds have a gated play area and a new pool with a spa. There is also an outdoor shower with 360-degree city views.
Potts, who played Mary Jo Shively in the long-running CBS series “Designing Women” (1986-1993), also appeared in the movies “Pretty in Pink” (1986) and “Ghostbusters” (1984).
Hayman recently directed episodes of “Judging Amy” and “The Sopranos.”
Dorothy Carter and Michael Orland, both with DBL Realtors, Sunset, have the listing.
Sunset Strip adds
‘Fastlane’ producer
Joseph McGinty “McG” Nichol, director of such movies as “Charlie’s Angels II” (2002) and “Charlie’s Angels” (2000), has purchased a refurbished Spanish-style home near the Sunset Strip for just under its nearly $2-million asking price.
McG, 32, produces the Fox TV show “Fastlane” and other projects through Wonderland, his production company.
The house he bought was built in 1928 and has two bedrooms in 2,800 square feet. It is in a gated enclave and has a new pool, a spa and city views.
It was restored and updated by Billy Rose and Ken Hilgendorf. Rose, a lawyer and former talent agent at UTA, and Hilgendorf are working on their third redesign project.
Rose, also a Realtor at Westside Estate Agency in Beverly Hills, had the listing, and Richard Ehrlich of the same realty office represented the buyer.
Condo price drops
a few degrees
Nicholas Lachey, singer in the all-male vocal group 98 Degrees, has re-listed his Wilshire condo after taking it off the market for a while. The new price is $959,000.
Before Lachey, 29, married pop singer Jessica Simpson, 22, in October, he had his two-bedroom 1,900-square-foot condo listed with a different Realtor at $989,000. Simpson had her Wilshire condo listed at $925,000 before she took it off the market and leased it out until September. After Lachey and Simpson were married, they moved to a house they bought on the Westside.
Lachey’s condo is in a Wilshire tower that was built in 1980. The contemporary unit was completely remodeled. It has hardwood floors, updated appliances, two balconies off the living room and a spa tub in the master bathroom. It is in a full-service building with a pool, gym and valet parking.
Chad Rogers at Prudential-John Aaroe, Beverly Hills, and Kay Cole at the same firm’s Encino office have the listing.
Rebuilding with
a green sensibility
Mary Lyon, author of “The Frazzled Working Woman’s Practical Guide to Motherhood,” is rebuilding her Brentwood home to make it environmentally conscious.
“It’ll be solar-powered and have roof tiles made of chopped-up tires,” she said. Recycled tires also will be used on the floors. Insulation will come from byproducts of manufacturing blue jeans. Renewable resources will be used on the walls.
The 6,000-square-foot house will have a recording studio for her husband, musician and recording engineer Bruce Gossard, and an art studio for her. She is a former host of “DYI Crafts,” a series on the Do-It-Yourself Network. Both studios will be partially underground for natural cooling and soundproofing. Warren Wagner, an expert on passive heating and cooling, is helping with the design.
The home will have three bedrooms, and other rooms will have the potential of being converted to bedrooms in case the couple’s older parents come there to live. Interiors are being designed to accommodate the disabled. Landscaping will “take drought resistance into account,” Lyon said.
She expects to spend $1 million to $1.5 million on the house before it’s finished in June.
To see previous columns on celebrity transactions visit www.latimes.com/hotproperty.
