A Texas two-step to Palisades
Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, have purchased a Pacific Palisades home for slightly less than $8 million.
The Quaids, who will celebrate their first wedding anniversary Monday, bought a French Country-style estate on a road lined with mature trees, a natural creek and lush gardens. The newly built house has nine bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms in 8,400 square feet. The house stands on nearly an acre, zoned for horses.
Other features of the home include seven fireplaces, oak floors, a hand-carved 18th century mantle in the living room, crystal chandeliers, a wine cellar, a library and a covered loggia with a fireplace overlooking the pool and spa.
There is also a master-bedroom suite with his-and-hers bathrooms, plus two-bedroom, one-bath quarters for maids or guests over the kitchen.
The actor, 51, was born and raised in Texas. His wife, now a Brentwood Realtor, worked for a title company in Austin, Texas, when they began dating in 2003. He filed for divorce from actress Meg Ryan, his wife of nearly 10 years, in July 2000, and their divorce was final a year later.
Quaid appeared in four movies released last year: “The Alamo,” opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Jason Patric; Roland Emmerich’s “The Day After Tomorrow”; the comedy “In Good Company,” costarring Scarlett Johansson; and a remake of the 1965 film “The Flight of the Phoenix,” starring in the role originally portrayed by Jimmy Stewart.
Quaid is writing, directing and starring in the upcoming movie “Shame on You,” about western singer Spade Cooley.
Newsman drops anchor in Valley
David Ono, a news anchorman with ABC Channel 7, has moved up in the San Fernando Valley. He purchased a home in Toluca Lake for about $2.2 million and sold a home in Studio City for $1.4 million.
Ono, who joined the “Eyewitness News” team in 1996, bought a newly renovated house with five bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms in 5,300 square feet. The home, built in 1936, was refurbished by Okland Construction.
The home has an open floor plan with formal living and dining rooms, a family room with a full bar, an office or guest room, a breakfast room, wood floors, crown moldings and a master bedroom suite with a balcony. The grounds include a pool.
The home Ono sold has three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in 3,700 square feet. The house, built in 1988, also has art-gallery-like spaces, a media room, cathedral ceilings and a large terrace. There are city views from most rooms of the house, which is on a gated street.
Ono has won eight Los Angeles-area Emmy awards and 19 Emmy nominations. He is a triathlete.
Moe Abourched, an estates director with Re/Max on the Boulevard and Team 2000 in Sherman Oaks, had the Toluca Lake listing, and Rick Chimienti of Sotheby’s International Realty, Beverly Hills, represented Ono in buying.
A little Versailles on a Bel-Air estate
Self-made billionaire Melvin Simon and his wife, Bren, have a new home in Bel-Air, purchased for about $13 million.
The estate, built in 1995, resembles Le Petit Trianon in Versailles, France. The home has nine bedrooms and 12 bathrooms in about 18,000 square feet. There are city-to-ocean views as well as a gym, office, sauna, sports court and pool.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in the Bronx, Simon, 78, and his brother, Herb, made a fortune developing shopping malls across the country. Simon started his own Indianapolis-based real estate investment company in 1960. He and his brother later bought the Indiana Pacers.
In the ‘70s, Simon tried movie-making. His production company lost millions in the project, but he and his wife, married in 1972, kept up their celebrity friendships and became known for parties to benefit charitable and political causes.
Grammy producer ‘retiring’ to N.Y.
Pierre Cossette, who retired in February after producing the Grammy Awards for 35 years, and his wife, Mary, have listed their West Hollywood condo at close to $2.8 million.
At 81, the producer plans to spend more time in New York to start a new record label and develop “The Woody Guthrie Story” for Broadway.
Cossette moved to L.A. from Montreal as a child. After college, he produced shows in Las Vegas. He produced the Grammys since the first year it was televised live nationwide. He also persuaded the networks to air the show. His son, John, will take over as executive producer.
During the time Pierre Cossette was producing the awards show and other TV projects, he and his wife have had numerous homes, including residences in Manhattan and Canada.
Their West Hollywood condo is on an upper floor of a high-rise built in 1965 with canyon and city views. The unit has two bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in 2,100 square feet. A third bedroom was turned into a den. The kitchen is Tuscany in style. There are electronically controlled blinds, recessed lights and concrete floors.
Kay Pick and Jonathan Carter of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, share the listing.
Home, barn near Strip; hay optional
Martin Perellis and Herb Cohen, former record executives who managed Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart and Tom Waits, have sold a Sunset Strip-area home they built as an investment. The selling price was $9.85 million.
The seven-bedroom home was completed in 2004. The French Country-style home also has a guesthouse, a pool and a barn. The sale did not include the 350 rescued animals, including llamas, that Perellis kept there. He is planning to move them to another location.
Stephen Shapiro and Richard Ehrlich of Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, represented the sellers.
