Reese Witherspoon no longer legally bound to Ojai ranch
Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon has sold Libbey Ranch in Ojai for $4,983,500.
Designed by architect Wallace Neff, who became known for developing the “California” style of home, Witherspoon’s ranch was originally built in 1923 as stables for glassware titan Edward Libbey. Details include turrets, original stonework and arched windows and alcoves.
The two-story main house features beamed ceilings, an oversized fireplace in the two-story living room, a library loft with a fireplace, four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.
Three guest cottages, a carriage house, a swimming pool, a barn, stables, pasture land and mature oaks complete the 7 acres of grounds. There are nine bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two half-baths.
Witherspoon, 37, appeared in “Legally Blonde” (2001), “Sweet Home Alabama” (2002) and “Walk the Line” (2005), for which she won her lead actress Oscar. More recently she was in “Mud” and “Water for Elephants.” She will star in the upcoming movies “Devil’s Knot” and “Wild,” based on the memoir by Cheryl Strayed.
Witherspoon bought the ranch for use as a second home/retreat in 2008 for $5.8 million and was married there three years ago. She owns a three-parcel spread in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles and a house near Nashville.
Nancy Kogevinas of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Billy Rose of the Agency were the listing agents. Jennifer Berger of Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer.
Fast and furious transaction spree
Actor-rapper Ludacris finished 2013 with a flourish, buying a home in Hollywood Hills for $4.8 million and selling a penthouse condo in West Los Angeles for $879,000. He has a second condo for sale in the same building at $879,000.
The contemporary home that the three-time Grammy winner bought was built in 1985 and includes a master bedroom suite with dual bathrooms, dressing closets, a fireplace and a wet bar.
There are a total of four fireplaces, five bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms in the 5,854-square-foot home.
Among other features are a home theater, walls of glass, a wine cellar and an infinity-edge swimming pool.
Both condos have two bedrooms and more than 2,000 square feet of living space. He paid $1.03 million in 2007 for the penthouse condo he sold.
Ludacris, 36, will release his latest album, “Ludaversal,” this year. Among his hit songs are “Money Maker” and “Area Codes.” He has appeared in the “Fast & Furious” film series and has scores of television soundtrack credits.
Rande Gray, Ron Keinan and Ariel Shram of Keller Williams were the listing agents for the Hollywood Hills home. Maya Vander of Keller Williams represented Ludacris in the purchase.
Stephanie Franklin and Dick Franklin of Gibson International have the listing on the condo for sale.
Hoping to bob his head at buyer
Comedian Chris Kattan put his home in Hollywood Hills West up for sale at $1.998 million.
Kattan is not the first celebrity to occupy the house, which sits behind an iron gate amid mature trees. Comic actor Danny DeVito is among the former owners.
Built in 1924, the traditional-style house retains such vintage details as a Batchelder tile fireplace. The art tile fireplace surrounds became popular in the 1920s and are prized today.
The 2,496 square feet of living space include a den, a media room, an office, two bedrooms and four bathrooms. A grotto-like swimming pool and a pool house that doubles as a guesthouse complete the grounds.
Kattan, 43, gained recognition for his impersonations and characters on “Saturday Night Live” from 1996 to 2003. He and actor Will Ferrell starred as the nightclub carousing, head-bobbing Butabi brothers in “A Night at the Roxy” (1998). Kattan will star in the upcoming films “The Last Film Festival” and “Walk of Fame.”
He bought the house in 2001 for $1.07 million, public records show, and is selling to move closer to the ocean.
Sharona Alperin of Sotheby’s International Realty is the listing agent.
Down-to-earth in Sherman Oaks
Model turned actress Natasha Henstridge, who gained fame as the human-alien hybrid Sil and her clone Eve in the “Species” films, listed a home in Sherman Oaks for sale at $1.75 million.
The down-to-earth contemporary house, built in 1961, sits on about one-quarter of an acre with mature trees, lawn, a sports court and a swimming pool with a waterfall.
The 3,476 square feet of living space include a formal entry, vaulted wood-beam ceilings, a den, four bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Henstridge, 39, has been in the television series “The Secret Circle” (2011-12), “Time Jumper” (2009-10) and “Eli Stone” (2008-9). Last year she was in the TV movies “A Sister’s Nightmare” and “Cold Spring.”
She is in the just released big-screen film “The Bronx Bull.”
Henstridge bought the property with singer-songwriter Darius Campbell for $1.3 million in 2011, public records show. The couple filed for divorce last year.
Matt Epstein of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is the listing agent.
Ink dries on star’s home deal
“South Pacific” leading lady Mitzi Gaynor washed that house right out of her hair, so to speak, selling her longtime home in Beverly Hills for $4.9 million.
The Spanish villa, built in 1929, features beamed ceilings, leaded glass skylights, inlaid wood flooring, floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors.
A balcony off the master suite overlooks the swimming pool and yard of nearly a third of an acre.
Including the maid’s room, there are five bedrooms and six bathrooms in 4,167 square feet of living space.
A singer and a dancer, Gaynor was a leading lady in numerous Broadway musicals. She hosted numerous TV specials in the ‘60s and ‘70s and continues to perform at benefits.
She listed the house in September at $5.495 million.
Tina Stern of Sotheby’s International Realty was the listing agent. Paul Figueiredo of Teles Properties represented the buyer.
Twitter: @LATHotProperty
