Table for one please, in Malibu
Brad Pitt, who costars in the upcoming movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” has purchased a mid-century Malibu home for $8 million, real estate sources say. Actress Jennifer Aniston filed for divorce from Pitt in March.
The one-story house, built in 1962 but recently renovated, has three bedrooms and four bathrooms in 4,000-plus square feet. The home also has a living room, family room, bonus room, an industrial-looking kitchen, dark bamboo floors, a sound system and two fireplaces.
It is at the end of a long, gated driveway and is on about three acres. The property also has coastline views, large lawns, a tennis court, a pool and stairs to a secluded beach.
A year after Pitt and Aniston were married in Malibu in July 2000, they bought a Wallace Neff-designed home for about $13.5 million. That house, which also has a tennis court, was built for actor Fredric March in the ‘30s.
Pitt and Aniston also individually own other houses in the Hollywood Hills, and Pitt is known for his interest in restoring old homes. He owns a Craftsman-style compound in Los Feliz.
Pitt, 41, costarred last year in “Ocean’s Twelve” and played Achilles in “Troy.” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” costarring Angelina Jolie, is due out in June.
Jazzman thinking low-key in desert
Jazz pianist-singer Buddy Greco and his wife, singer Lezlie Anders, have put their Las Vegas ranch on the market at $1.4 million and are buying a Palm Desert home for $600,000.
The pair was drawn to Palm Desert after appearing for eight weeks together in the Palm Springs Follies. Greco, 78, also got to know and like the Coachella Valley when he golfed there with friends.
He’s considering opening a supper club in the desert. Since joining Benny Goodman’s band as a keyboardist in 1949, Greco has toured many clubs and other venues. He has recorded more than 60 albums. “The Lady Is a Tramp” is among his hits as a singer.
He and Anders have performed in Las Vegas over the years while living on their 2.5-acre Destiny Ranch four blocks from the Las Vegas Strip, but they are ready to downsize.
“We don’t need seven televisions,” he said.
“We don’t need a 3,600-square-foot house,” Anders added.
The five-bedroom, three-bathroom house has a bell tower and was built in the mid-’70s. Greco and Anders bought it eight years ago. They are in escrow to buy a three-bedroom, 2,200-square-foot home.
The ranch comes with “a small zoo,” Anders said. There are five dogs and 18 other animals, including burros, goats, a miniature horse and a baby pig.
“It all started with the standard poodle,” she said. The animals are included in the selling price. But a friend of Anders will take the animals if the buyer doesn’t want them.
Eileen Zillman of Liberty Realty, Las Vegas, has the ranch listing. Peter Fay of Prudential California has the listing on the Palm Desert home. Brian Arnold and Carol Traylor of SunFirst/GMAC Real Estate, Rancho Mirage, are their agents in buying the property.
Wilshire condo for Variety veteran
Army Archerd, the longtime Daily Variety columnist, and his actress wife, Selma, have sold their Little Holmby home of about 35 years for slightly more than $2 million and purchased a Wilshire Corridor condo for close to its $1.6-million asking price.
The house they sold has three bedrooms, a maid’s quarters and a den in 3,000 square feet. The condo has three bedrooms and a den in 2,800 square feet. The unit is being refurbished.
On April 27, the columnist will mark his 52nd anniversary of writing the Daily Variety column.
Joy Hudson of Nelson Shelton, Beverly Hills, represented the Archerds in both transactions.
Where the Keach boys came of age
The Sherman Oaks family home of actor Stacy Keach and his brother, director-producer James Keach, has come on the market for the first time: $2.6 million to buy or $7,900 a month to lease.
The traditional-style home was built in 1960 by the brothers’ parents, character actor-director-producer Stacy Keach Sr. and his wife, Mary, who both died in 2003. They had been married for 67 years. Among Keach Sr.’s hundreds of TV appearances, he played Judge Webster on “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” during the late ‘90s. The show starred Jane Seymour, wife of James Keach.
The Sherman Oaks home, in the upscale community of Long- ridge Estates, has a two-story, 3,000-square-foot main house with three bedrooms, plus a detached guest quarters.
Keith Fisher, associate manager of the Estates Division, Prudential California Realty, in Sherman Oaks has the listing.
Ex-Bruin exits Marina del Rey
Steve Lavin, the UCLA head basketball coach from 1996 to 2003 who is now a college basketball analyst for ABC and ESPN, has sold his Marina del Rey home for $2.7 million. He reportedly moved to Newport Beach.
The house he sold, built in 2000, is in the Silver Strand area. It has four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a media room in 5,000 square feet. On four levels with an elevator, the home has views of the area. The property also has a pool, spa and three-car garage.
Besides doing TV commentaries, Lavin, 40, is a keynote speaker at business, community and collegiate events.
Darlene Levine of Sotheby’s International Realty, Brentwood, represented him in his sale.
To see previous columns on celebrity transactions visit latimes.com/hotproperty.
