Hot Property: Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann fall for prized penthouse in Santa Monica
Filmmaker Judd Apatow and his wife, actress-comedian Leslie Mann, have paid $14.5 million for the Santa Monica penthouse of skincare entrepreneur Howard Murad.
The 8,000-square-foot abode sits on the top floor of a building with its own slice of Hollywood history. The 13-story development, designed by architect A. Quincy Jones, was once home to actor William Holden. The Oscar-winning actor, who starred in such films as “Sunset Boulevard” and “Sabrina,” lived there until he died in 1981 at 63.
Entered through two private elevators, the penthouse unit enjoys views of the ocean, mountains and downtown skyline. There are six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, as well as a handful of living spaces lined with walls of glass.
Skylights top an expansive living room with a wet bar and fireplace, and there’s also a chandelier-topped dining area, an office, a media room and a gym. Balconies wrap the exterior, creating additional living space.
A private, 2,100-square-foot rooftop deck with built-in seating and a spa tops the penthouse.
Apatow has developed and produced a slew of sitcoms and films over the years, including “Freaks and Geeks,” “Girls,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.” He founded his production company, Apatow Productions, in 1999.
Mann, a native of Newport Beach, has starred in “The Bling Ring,” “Funny People” and “Blockers,” among a host of other films. This month, she’s set to appear in “Welcome to Marwen.”
Rochelle Maize of Nourmand & Associates handled both ends of the deal.
Actress has room to let
In the upper Riviera area of Pacific Palisades, the home of actress Brooke Shields is up for lease at $24,995 a month.
The “Pretty Baby” star has owned the three-story retreat for over two decades since buying it in 1997 with then-husband tennis star Andre Agassi for $3.25 million.
The gated estate features brick and lumber on the outside and Douglas fir hardwood floors on the inside. In 5,345 square feet, there’s a formal dining room, a center-island kitchen with marble countertops and a family room with a stone fireplace.
French doors line the living room, which opens to a wraparound deck that takes in canyon views from the property’s hillside perch. Five bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms fill out the rest of the interior. The third floor is dedicated to the master suite, which features two fireplaces, an office, a lounge, a freestanding tub and a balcony.
Outdoors, the property descends to a stone-lined pool and spa, as well as a viewing deck.
Shields, 53, starred in the films “The Blue Lagoon” and “Endless Love” before attending Princeton University in the ’80s. Her more recent credits include “Lipstick Jungle” and “Jane the Virgin.”
The home comes furnished, according to the listing. Chris Cortazzo of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and Dan Urbach of the Agency are the agents of record.
Blazing a trail to Riverside County
John Wayne’s former ranch, a 2,000-acre spread in the high country of Riverside County, has come on the market for $8 million.
Called Rancho Pavoreal, the ranch property is set in a valley near Sage, an agricultural community about 10 miles from Temecula wine country. Completely fenced and cross-fenced for horses and cattle, the acreage includes three wells, horse facilities and a stucco ranch house.
Views take in the surrounding valley floor, mountains and rolling hills. Rock outcrops punctuate the bucolic setting, which also has horse trails and remnants of a meandering creek.
A listing for the property suggests that it is ideal for vineyards, equestrian use, cattle, hunting or a private retreat. Seizing on California’s booming marijuana industry, cannabis cultivation is mentioned as another possibility for the land.
In the past, the property was used as a dude ranch, hosting city folks looking for weekend adventure.
The Duke’s ranch isn’t the only one in the area with entertainment ties. Bordering the property to the north is a ranch once owned by Walt Disney.
Tatiana Novick of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Rancho Santa Fe, holds the listing.
Restaurateurs serve up Spanish classic
The Studio City home where actors Drew Barrymore and Tom Green lived during their marriage in the early 2000s has come on the market.
Ray and Charleen Vega, owners of the legendary Casa Vega restaurant in Sherman Oaks, bought the estate from Green, who retained the property in the divorce, in 2003 for about $2.8 million. The restaurateurs are asking $7.789 million for the home.
The walled and gated estate is in the Fryman Canyon area and once belonged to Hollywood talent manager Rudi Altobelli, whose clients included Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn. Built in 1940, the hacienda-style house of 6,400 square feet has beamed ceilings, colorful tilework, five bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Picture windows bring leafy views into the common rooms and the kitchen, which has been updated with custom cabinetry and a center island. In the lavish master bath, an atrium-style window ceiling keeps the eyes moving upward.
There are fireplaces in the wood-paneled family room, living room and master bedroom as well as a separate two-bedroom guest house. The guest house also holds a second full kitchen.
Outside, covered and uncovered patios overlook the leafy grounds, which have mature landscaping, gardens, creeping vines and a 400-year-old oak tree. There’s also a swimming pool.
Jack and Karen Misraje of Compass hold the listing.
He’s got a new place to call home
Adam Arkin, who has been busy as a director-executive producer of the show “Get Shorty,” has closed the purchase of a Midcentury Modern-style home in Granada Hills for $1.5 million.
Designed by Joe B. Jordan and built in 1960, the single-story home plays up its Atomic Age origin with a neutral palette punctuated by bursts of lime and turquoise. Vaulted and beamed ceilings, walls of windows and terrazzo flooring are signatures of the architectural style.
An atrium-style entry sits beyond the threshold of the house, which has more than 4,000 square feet of interior space. In the main living area, a two-sided floor-to-ceiling fireplace divides the living and family rooms. There are five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
A bonus room, accessed by a key-coded door, was formerly a bomb shelter.
Sliding glass doors open to a covered patio that overlooks a swimming pool and spa. The pool is solar-heated, and there’s an electric vehicle charging station in the garage.
Patrick Brown, Brian Courville and J.B. Fung of Compass’ Modern Living L.A. team were the listing agents. Judy Graff of Judy Graff Properties represented the buyer.
Arkin, 62, is the son of Oscar-winning actor Alan Arkin. He is known for his roles on the shows “Chicago Hope” and “Northern Exposure.” More recently, Arkin appeared on the series “How to Get Away With Murder” and “State of Affairs.”
He has also appeared in and directed episodes of the FX drama “Fargo.”
Ex-pro trades Pomona house for big house
The home of former Pro Bowl defensive back Brandon Browner, who recently pleaded no contest to attempted murder and two misdemeanor charges, is on the market in Pomona for $850,000.
Browner was charged in July with breaking into a former girlfriend’s home in La Verne and assaulting her. He was sentenced to eight years in state prison in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Pomona.
The house sits on a cul-de-sac lot of about half an acre and has a swimming pool. Built in 2012, the two-story residence has about 3,700 square feet of interior, a family room with a fireplace, five bedrooms and four bathrooms. A den/game room sits off the kitchen area and has a wet bar.
Outside, there’s patio space, lawn and mature trees. The swimming pool is fenced.
Browner, a Sylmar native, bought the property five years ago for $656,000.
The 34-year-old attended Oregon State but went undrafted in 2005. As a member of the dynamic “Legion of Boom” backfield for the Seahawks, he made a Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl ring in 2014. The next season he went to the New England Patriots and won another Super Bowl. He played one more year, with the New Orleans Saints.
Specelle Williams of Nationwide Real Estate Execs holds the listing.
neal.leitereg@latimes.com | Twitter: @LATHotProperty
