Oscar-winning director James Cameron is eyeing a blockbuster sale in Malibu. His prized compound, a collection of two mansions he’s owned for decades, hit the market last week at $25 million.
Cameron, a film industry veteran whose scores of credits include “The Terminator” and “Titanic,” began compiling the estate in the late 1980s, buying an 8,300-square-foot home with six bedrooms and seven bathrooms. He added the place next door in 2003, buying the 7,700-square-foot home of late actor George C. Scott.
Together, the two estates combine for 16,000 square feet on four acres and take in views of the rolling hills above Surfrider Beach. There are 11 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a guesthouse, a guardhouse, two pools, two spas, a sports court, a gym and a lounge.
Each home features sunny living spaces sandwiched by beamed ceilings and Saltillo tile floors. One wraps around a dramatic courtyard with fountains, and the other boasts a custom movie theater fitting for a decorated director.
Both properties are tucked into a four-home cul-de-sac in guard-gated Serra Retreat, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an enclave more jam-packed with celebrities over the years.
In 2004, singer Olivia Newton-John bought the home opposite Cameron’s from the widow of actor Charles Bronson for $5.995 million and sold it four years later for over $10 million, records show. Britney Spears scooped up the other home in the cul-de-sac for $6.3 million in 2004 and sold it three years later to “The Mummy” director Stephen Sommers for $10 million.
In addition to the two homes, Cameron has owned plenty of undeveloped land in Malibu. He began buying parcels after the release of “Titanic” in 1997 and eventually amassed a collection of 730 acres of ranchland in the Santa Monica Mountains and planned to develop it into a family sanctuary called “Tranquility Base.”
He eventually put the land on the market for $25 million in 2007 and sold 703 acres of it seven years later to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority for $12 million.
Cameron, 66, is known for directing blockbuster films with big budgets and groundbreaking special effects. His films have won 21 Academy Awards over the course of his career. His credits include “Aliens,” “The Abyss” and “True Lies.” Two of his films, “Avatar” and “Titanic,” are the second- and third-highest grossing films of all time, respectively.
FLIPPING FOR THEIR LATEST PROJECT
Husband-and-wife actors and frequent Hot Property subjects Corbin Bernsen and Amanda Pays have put their latest home offering on the market in the Hollywood Hills for $1.995 million.
The couple, whose love of renovation work has been well-documented, restored the Laurel Canyon compound, which was once part of a small real estate empire owned by actor-producer Beach Dickerson. Dickerson, who was a mentor to scores of Hollywood types, acquired more than a dozen Laurel Canyon properties following World War II using G.I. Bills and leased them over the years to a number of writers, directors and entertainers, including Bernsen.
Nicknamed “The Crown Jewel,” the compound makes the most of its lofty perch with three upper structures and a lower bungalow built into the hillside.
The two-bedroom main house and nearby pool house, both updated with light hues, are grouped around a brick-rimmed pool, a spa and decking. The A-frame-style guesthouse, which retains a rustic vibe and vintage fireplace, is in the back corner of the grounds. Including the lower bungalow, there are four bedrooms and four bathrooms in all.
Views from the property take in the canyon and downtown L.A.
Bernsen, 66, gained fame in the role of divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the 1986-94 series “L.A. Law” and starred in the “Major League” films. He was on “Psych” throughout its 2006-14 run and recently appeared on the CBS crime drama “Magnum P.I.”
Pays, 61, is an interior designer and actress known for her role as Dr. Tina McGee on the original “The Flash” series and its latest iteration on the CW.
IT’S SEEN A LITTLE BIT OF LOVIN’
Singer-songwriter Elle King is staging a sale in Hollywood Hills, where her Mediterranean-style home full of authentic details and chic outdoor spaces is on the market for $1.665 million.
Spanning three stories, the 1980s abode draws the eye with a wooden garage door, wrought-iron accents and shades of orange and turquoise that break up the white stucco exterior. Three balconies are perched on the front of the home, while a few more extend from the rear.
Dark hardwood floors, crown moldings and arched doorways provide period charm in the common spaces. The living room has a stone fireplace and custom chandelier, and the kitchen adds slabs of rainforest marble.
Four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a family room, a study, a wet bar, and a dining room with a built-in buffet also lie within some 3,500 square feet of living space.
Almost every room opens to a deck or patio. The outdoor spaces include a dining area set beneath string lights and a patio with a spa and a covered lounge. A tiered garden descends to a turf yard at the edge of the quarter-acre property.
The daughter of actor Rob Schneider, Elle King has released two albums over the last six years including 2018’s “Shake the Spirit.” The 31-year-old has been nominated for three Grammys: two for her song “Ex’s and Oh’s” and one for her duet with Dierks Bentley, “Different for Girls.”
READY TO MOVE HIS PADS AND CLEATS
Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is eyeing a huge score in Beverly Hills, where his newly built mansion is on the market for $29.988 million.
The legendary tight end and his wife, former “Beat Shazam” DJ October Gonzalez, picked up the property back in 2016 for $7.1 million. They razed the traditional-style house it once held, erecting a Georgian-style home of nearly 13,000 square feet in its place.
Fully furnished and finished in December, the three-story home is tucked behind gates and landscaping. Inside, a dramatic 24-foot entry leads to living spaces such as a formal dining room, an indoor-outdoor chef’s kitchen, and a study with built-in cabinetry. There are seven bedrooms and 12 bathrooms.
Another highlight comes in the pub room, which features floor-to-ceiling wine storage and a chiseled limestone fireplace wall. Down below, there’s a subterranean garage with room for eight cars.
Outside, covered patios expand outward toward the swimming pool and tennis court. A pool house with pocketing doors adds a chic lounge and gym. The double-lot property covers just under three-quarters of an acre.
WHERE NO. 24 ONCE PLAYED
A piece of Kobe Bryant history has surfaced for sale in the suburbs of Philadelphia. His childhood home, where the late NBA legend lived as he gained national recognition on the court at Lower Merion High School, is on the market for $899,900.
The Colonial-style home still features his original metal basketball hoop beside the driveway, according to the listing agent.
Bryant’s father, NBA veteran Joe Bryant, sold the property for $510,000 in 2008, and this is the first time it’s been on the market since. The 1950s home is in Wynnewood, an affluent suburb a few miles west of Philadelphia. Spanning 3,400 square feet, the house has five bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms across two stories.
Flowerbeds and brick accents perk up the exterior, and inside, crown molding rings living spaces such as a dining area with a chandelier, kitchen with a breakfast bar, and a family room with paneled walls and a fireplace. Retro blue, green and crimson carpet lines the bedrooms, and a downstairs den tacks on a fireplace.
Outside, a stone patio descends to the grassy yard.
Bryant, who died earlier this year at age 41, spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, notching five NBA championships, 18 All-Star appearances, two scoring titles and a most valuable player award.
