It’s been a long goodbye

Richard Dreyfuss has sold his former Sherman Oaks home for about $1.9 million.

The Oscar-winning actor had owned the property for more than a decade, but he and his wife, Janelle, have lived primarily on the Westside since they married in 1999.

The home was sold to Abe Hoch, a talent manager and TV producer, and Leigh Brillstein, senior vice president of TV talent at ICM. The compound, on slightly more than half an acre, was listed in July at just under $2.5 million.

The home has five bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms in slightly more than 3,700 square feet, behind gates. Three of the bedrooms are in a separate wing. The house, built in 1940, is traditional in style and has terraced gardens, a veranda, decks, a pool and views of the San Fernando Valley. There is a country kitchen with tile floors and granite counters.

Harrison Ford, known for his carpentry skills before he became a movie star, built a separate building now being used as a gym. Actress Talia Shire owned the home before Dreyfuss.

Dreyfuss, 57, won a best actor Oscar for his performance in “The Goodbye Girl” (1977). He earned an Academy Award nomination for his role in “Mr. Holland’s Opus” (1995).

He starred in the 2004 Broadway revival of “Sly Fox.” He was scheduled to appear in the London production of Mel Brooks’ musical “The Producers.” The show’s backers, however, issued a statement saying it had proved difficult for the actor, who is not known for his singing or dancing abilities, “to fulfill the rigors of the role.”

Dee Nep of Coldwell Banker, Sherman Oaks, represented Dreyfuss in selling the house, and Michael Collins of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, represented the buyers.

The Knoll gets a new owner

The Knoll, longtime home of late billionaire Marvin Davis and his wife, Barbara, has been sold.

The Beverly Hills mansion, on 10-plus acres, was listed in November 2003 at $70 million. The price was reduced in June 2004 to $59.5 million. The selling price was not disclosed, but area real estate agents estimate it to be in the low- to mid-$40-million range. The buyers are Susan and Eric L. Smidt. He is president of Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc.

The Davises had owned the Georgian-style manor, designed by architect Roland Coate, since March 1984, when they purchased it from singer Kenny Rogers. The home was previously owned by film producer Dino De Laurentiis. It was built in 1955 for the late Lucy Doheny Battson, widow of oil heir Edward (“Ned”) Doheny Jr.

The Knoll has 11 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms in about 25,000 square feet. An elevator serves all three floors.

The home has a 35-millimeter screening room, two pools (including one indoors), a pool pavilion, a tennis court, a tennis house with a sunken bar and a living area, two guesthouses, a gym, a spa and two wine cellars. The house also has views from downtown L.A. to Pacific Palisades.

Marvin Davis, who died at 79 in September, was an oilman, real estate developer and owner at one time of the 20th Century Fox studio.

Barbara Duskin and Ron de Salvo, both of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills North, had the listing.

Styx band member parts with cottage

Tommy Shaw, singer-guitarist with the rock band Styx, and his wife, Jeanne, have sold their beachfront cottage in Ventura County for $2.25 million.

The house, built in 1930 in Hollywood Beach, was originally a horse barn for the property next door. The Shaws renovated the house after buying it two years ago. It has three bedrooms in 1,400 square feet.

The couple is also in the early stages of refurbishing their Hollywood Hills home, bought in 1996. Plans include adding a second story, enlarging the recording studio and expanding the three-car garage. Scott Joyce is designing the project.

Shaw and Styx band mates are currently mixing their new CD, “Big Bang Theory,” due for release in April. Besides preparing for a European tour with Styx in June, Shaw is in the final stages of production on “Influence,” the first release by Shaw and Damn Yankees’ Jack Blades since the earlier CD by the pair, “Hallucination.”

Valley estate for ESPN analyst

NBA star and ESPN sports analyst Mark Jackson and his wife, actress and singer Desiree Coleman-Jackson, have purchased a San Fernando Valley home for close to its $4-million asking price.

The house is Mediterranean in style and sits on 2 acres of park-like grounds, reached by a private road. The estate, behind electric gates, has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms in 10,000 square feet. The master bedroom suite has a sitting area, a fireplace, a walk-in closet, separate dressing areas, a sauna, a steam bath, a spa, a wet bar and upholstered silk walls.

The grounds have a pool, a spa, a gazebo, fountains and a 2,000-square-foot guesthouse.

During his NBA career starting in 1987, the 6-foot-3 point guard played at various times for such teams as the L.A. Clippers, the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Jackson, 39, is a sports analyst for the ESPN program “Fast Break.”

Coleman-Jackson, in her mid-20s, has performed on Broadway and, under the tutelage of Patti LaBelle, became a solo artist, recording a number of R&B; and gospel albums. The couple was married in 1990.

To see previous columns on celebrity transactions, visit latimes.com/hotproperty.