Tom Hanks Buys Pacific Palisades Home for $26 Million

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He bought the four-bedroom, five-bath house for about $26 million from veteran producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.

Actor-producer-director Tom Hanks has purchased the contemporary Pacific Palisades home of veteran producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, according to area real estate agents.

The sales price was listed at slightly more than $26 million at Blockshopper.com, a news and market data service. Property records show that the 14,513-square-foot house, built in 1996, has four bedrooms and five bathrooms. Hanks did not respond to requests for comment.

Hanks, 53, won Oscars for his work in "Forrest Gump" (1994) and "Philadelphia" (1993) and received lead actor nominations for "Big" (1988), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) and "Cast Away" (2000), which he also produced. He played symbolist Robert Langdon in "The Da Vinci Code" (2006) and "Angels & Demons" (2009) and is the voice of Woody in the "Toy Story" movies. He directed, wrote and starred in the 1996 film "That Thing You Do!"

Among the mutual credits of Kennedy, 56, and Marshall, 63, are "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008) and "Seabiscuit" (2003).

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Scarlett Johansson's Hollywood Hills Home for Sale for $4.95 Million

Actress and singer Scarlett Johansson has listed a walled and gated Spanish villa in the Hollywood Hills for $4.95 million.

The recently restored and remodeled house, built in 1931, has four bedrooms and 5 1/2 bathrooms in about 4,300 square feet. The grounds include nearly three-quarters of an acre with gardens, terraces and a swimming pool.

Rooms on the main level open to a glass-topped central atrium. The house has a period-style kitchen with original tile, a maid's quarters that could be used for a media room or a gym, and a basement.

Johansson, 25, will star as the Black Widow in "Iron Man 2" with Robert Downey Jr., due out in May. She had starring roles in "The Other Boleyn Girl" (2008), "Lost in Translation" (2003) and "The Horse Whisperer" (1998). Her first album, "Anywhere I Lay My Head," was released in 2008, followed by "Break Up" last fall.

She purchased the property in 2007 from director-producer Harold Becker for $7 million, public records show. Becker directed "The Onion Field" (1979) and "Domestic Disturbance" (2001), among other films. He is at work on the 2010 thriller "Vengeance: A Love Story."

In 2008, Johansson married Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, 33, who has the title role in the 2011 sci-fi adventure "Green Lantern" and starred in "The Proposal" (2009) and "Van Wilder" (2002).

The listing agent is Brett Lawyer of Sotheby's International Realty's Sunset Boulevard office, according to the Multiple Listing Service.

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Groucho Marx's Former Home Sells for $8.8 Million

A Beverly Hills house designed by architect Wallace Neff in 1956 for comedic actor Groucho Marx has sold for $8.8 million.

The rebuilt and updated Trousdale Estates home, which maintains its Neff footprint, is approached through a motor court with a central fountain. The one-story contemporary has walls of wood and glass and floors of terrazzo and walnut. There are five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a library and a maid's suite in slightly more than 6,000 square feet.

A pool, a spa and a waterfall complement an alfresco dining area, patios and a fire pit that extend the living space outdoors. The gated three-quarter acre lot has downtown L.A. and canyon views.

Marx, the cigar-smoking brother who sported wire rims, fake eyebrows and a mustache, made films with his siblings (including "Duck Soup" in 1933 and "A Night in Casablanca" in 1946) and without. He played opposite Carmen Miranda in "Copacabana" (1947). Marx hosted the radio quiz show "You Bet Your Life," which later was picked up by television and ran from 1950 to 1961.

The actor shared the home with his third wife, actress Eden Hartford, until his death in 1977 at the age of 86.

The house came on the market in August at $12.9 million. It previously sold in 2007 for $4,675,000, according to public records.

Jeeb O'Reilly of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills, and Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, had the listing. Sally Forster Jones of Coldwell Banker's Beverly Hills East office represented the buyer.

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Walton Goggins Lists Three-bedroom Modern/Traditional Hollywood Hills Home at $1,175,000

Walton Goggins, who starred in the crime drama "The Shield" from 2002 to 2008, is putting his remodeled Hollywood Hills home on the market for $1,175,000.

Goggins re-created the three-bedroom, three-bathroom house to blend traditional and modern elements and establish seamless indoor-outdoor flow while retaining the home's original form. "The bones were there," he said of the 1960s house.

Born in Alabama, the actor came to Los Angeles from Georgia in 1991.

"I moved 14 times in 11 years," he said of his early years as an actor. "You look for space that reflects you as a person no matter what budget you have."

Goggins at first leased the post-and-beam home from a friend. "I called him shortly thereafter and said, 'You know, I can't leave this house. You might as well sell it to me now,' "he said. So Goggins became a homeowner in 2001 at the age of 29 with the $512,000 purchase.

During his tenure in the house, Goggins worked on it with a contractor friend. "While I'm not as handy as a lot of people, I'm good -- as we say in the South -- at fetching and toting."

Inside, they installed hardwood floors, remodeled the kitchen and bathrooms, redid both fireplaces, added more lighting and resurfaced the garage.

Outside, they built fences, created outdoor seating, put in fountains and replaced the roof and gutters.

Involved in every step, Goggins even slept in the house without windows and doors while the new ones were being installed. "It made more sense than checking into a hotel," he said.

Set in a grove of oaks, the two-story house has two fireplaces, clerestory windows in the sun room and wood-beamed ceilings in the guest quarters. The guest suite includes a sitting room with a double-sided fireplace shared by an office/bedroom, kitchen area and bathroom.

The process of renovating the house, he said, "made me feel even more a part of this city, and brought me into the world of being an adult."

Although Goggins said he wasn't really looking to move, he has happened upon another property that feels like home too. "I can apply the same passion and love of space to this new home."

Still, he'll miss walking through the 1,600-square-foot house and seeing his part in it everywhere. "I poured my heart and soul into it. The house truly is an extension of me."

He has enjoyed the privacy of living in a home on a small street, having eight parking spaces, getting to know the people in his Laurel Canyon neighborhood, going to Lilly's at the Canyon Country Store for coffee and picking up takeout food from Pace.

"Nineteen years ago I used to dream about living in the Hollywood Hills and I would imagine myself driving up these streets and coming home," he said. But, he added, "It feels like I've taken this home as far as I can."

Goggins, 38, will be in Fox's alien abduction film "Predators," directed by Nimród Antal and set for July release, and the Screen Gems' thriller "Straw Dogs" (2011), directed Rod Lurie. He is now shooting the FX crime drama "Justified," which premieres in mid-March.

Josh Myler of Prudential California Realty, Beverly Hills, is the listing agent.

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Sitcom Star Joely Fisher Has Sold Her Encino Compound for $2.4 Million

(LOS ANGELES, CA) -- The four-bedroom, seven-bathroom contemporary had been on and off the market since mid-2007, perhaps prompting the actress to wonder whether she would own it "'Til Death," to borrow the name of the Fox comedy on which she plays opposite Brad Garrett.

Constructed in 1955, then rebuilt in 2005 to incorporate Asian and Craftsman details, the home has 4,511 square feet of living space and city and mountain views, a detached home theater and a lagoon pool with a pool house.

Before Joely Fisher, 42, joined "'Til Death" in 2006, she had roles on "Desperate Housewives" (2005), "Wild Card" (2003-05) and "Ellen" (1994-98). She starred in the 1999 film "Inspector Gadget."

Fisher, the daughter of actress Connie Stevens and singer Eddie Fisher, is married to cinematographer Christopher Duddy. The couple bought the home because it's a good layout for entertaining and it's private, according to previous Times reports, but listed it because they wanted a larger place for their growing family.

Public records show the property was purchased in 2005 for $3.35 million.

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He Lists to Tune of $7.7 Million

Producer-composer-musician Tom Rothrock and his wife, Monique, have listed their restored and expanded Hollywood Hills home for $7,749,000.

The couple spent seven years working on the villa, which has more than 6,500 square feet of space and is situated on about a third of an acre to maximize privacy while taking advantage of expansive city, canyon and mountain views.

The glass-sided living room has 18-foot ceilings. Doors and windows throughout the house open electronically. There are six fireplaces, a two-story master bedroom suite, a guesthouse and a pool.

They are selling the four-bedroom, 5 1/2-bathroom house because they are relocating to England for work, but they have broken ground on another residential project in the Los Angeles area.

Rothrock released his instrumental album "Resonator" in 2007 through his Bong Load record label. As a producer, he has worked with Beck, James Blunt and Badly Drawn Boy, among others. Rothrock has produced, performed or written the music for films including "Collateral" (2004), "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" (2004) and "Shrek 2" (2004).

The Rothrocks purchased the property in 2002 for $1,475,000, according to public records.

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Did Bette Davis Sleep Here?

Screenwriter Tedi Sarafian has put his renovated Normandy-style 1920s home in the Hollywood Hills on the market for $1,749,000.

The ivy-covered two-story has three bedrooms, 21/2 bathrooms, a formal dining room, a den with a fireplace, beamed ceilings and dark hardwood floors. French doors open to a side terrace and a covered back porch designed for al fresco dining and entertaining.

Sarafian, whose writing credits include "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" (2003), bought the house in 2004 for $1,195,000, according to public records.

Sarafian was told by the former owner that the house was once occupied by Bette Davis. If so, this would be the second time he has followed in the film star's footsteps. He previously owned her West Hollywood Colonial House condominium, which is back on the market at $2,095,000.

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Bel-Air Home Has Artist Touch

The Bel-Air home of Stephen Verona, music video and film director, screenwriter and artist, has come on the market for the first time in 30 years. It is listed at $4,395,000.

The two-story red tile-roofed villa, built in 1938, sits behind gates on 1.3 acres. The 3,405-square-foot house has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a formal dining room, a light-filled breakfast room, a den, an office and maid's quarters. There are fireplaces in the living room, library and master bedroom. Many of the rooms open to a large patio, off of which are gardens, a gazebo and a swimming pool.

Verona, 69, worked as an art director and producer with John Lennon and Barbra Streisand, among others. A pioneer of music videos, he teamed with such groups as the Lovin' Spoonful, Chicago and Simon & Garfunkel. The first feature film he wrote was "The Lords of Flatbush" (1974).

To get away from the pressures of the entertainment industry, Verona painted in his Bel-Air home's studio at night. He later began selling his work and eventually devoted himself to his art.

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