LA Times Celebrity Real Estate 1/27
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He's Leaving L.A. in the Near Future
Inside Actor David Spade and L.A. King Jason Allison
By RUTH RYON, Times Staff Writer
Actor Christopher Lloyd, known for his roles in the movie "Back to the
Future" and the classic TV comedy series "Taxi," has put his Hancock Park-area
home of 20 years on the market at $729,000.
Lloyd, who starred with Holland Taylor in a fall production of "The
Unexpected Man" at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood, plans to move out of the
L.A. area.
Built in the 1920s, the house has two bedrooms in just under 2,000 square
feet plus a guest house.
The home has been a "work in progress" for Lloyd and architect Robert De
Young for nearly as long as the actor has owned it. The two have worked on the
compound inside and out, planting rare and exotic trees and plants in the yard
and using coral, onyx, teak and Brazilian woods in the interiors.
They installed such art pieces as an undulating ceramic counter said to
resemble works of Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi, whose style was
characterized by freedom of form and a multitude of colors. There is also a
ceramic piece that runs up the wall and through four skylights in the kitchen.
The guest house, master suite and breakfast room have Spanish colonial and
adobe influences. The kitchen has been updated, and there are five fireplaces,
a solarium, a pool, a hot tub, a workshop and a bonus room in the home.
Lloyd, 63, has won several Emmy Awards, including two for his role as a
spaced-out, ex-hippie cabdriver on "Taxi" (1981-82 and 1982-83). He played Doc
Emmett Brown opposite Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly in "Back to the Future"
(1985), "Back to the Future II" (1989) and "Back to the Future III" (1990). He
also provided the voice of Doc Brown in the animated CBS version of the movie
(1991-93).
Lloyd had a supporting role in the HBO adaptation of "Wit" (2001),
appeared as himself in the movie "Man on the Moon" (1999) and played Uncle
Martin in "My Favorite Martian" (1999), the film based on the '60s sitcom.
Susan Chadney, who specializes in distinctive and notable properties at
Prudential John Aaroe Real Estate in Hancock Park, has the listing.
David Spade, who plays assistant Dennis Finch on the NBC sitcom "Just Shoot
Me," has sold his six-bedroom, 5,300-square-foot Beverly Hills home for $3.4
million.
Spade, 37, listed the home in October. He purchased a larger Westside
home, with city views and a tennis court, for about $4 million in December.
Built in the '60s but remodeled in 1995, the one-story house he just sold
is behind gates and has a library, four fireplaces and a courtyard leading to
an entry/galleria overlooking a garden and pool.
Built in the '70s, the two-story house he bought has three bedrooms in
6,700-plus square feet. His new home is also behind gates and has a pool.
L.A. King Jason Allison, who was acquired in an October trade with the Boston
Bruins, has purchased a newly built Tuscan-style home in Manhattan Beach for
$2.6 million.
The house has five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms in about 4,500 square feet.
It also has a large view deck. In addition to views of the ocean and the Palos
Verdes Peninsula, the house overlooks the hills of Manhattan Beach.
Robert Norrie, who has built a number of homes in Manhattan Beach and
England, was the developer. The house had been listed at $2.9 million.
Allison, who left the Boston Bruins after a bitter contract holdout, is
known as a fierce competitor. The all-star center, 26, was the NHL's No. 5
scorer with 95 points last season, when he was the Bruins' captain and their
leading scorer in each of his last three full seasons. He signed a three-year,
$20-million contract with the Kings that will pay him $5.5 million this season,
$6.5 million next season and $8 million in 2003-04.
A native of North York, Canada, Allison was traded to the Kings for former
Bruins Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel, who recently sold his condo in Manhattan
Village, a gated community.
The builder of Allison's new home was represented in his sale by the Parke
Group of Shorewood Realtors, Manhattan Beach. The Parke Group includes Patty
and Reyn Parke and Steve Zukmann.
Allison was represented in his purchase by Bryn Stroyke of Vintage Realty.
The longtime Encino home of the late songwriter-jazz pianist-actor Bobby
Troup and his late wife, singer-actress Julie London, has been sold for close
to its last asking price of $1.9 million.
The Colonial-style home was designed for London in 1959 by the late
architect Paul Williams, who incorporated four 19th century marble fireplaces
into the design. London had purchased the fireplaces in France.
Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald were among the many entertainers who
sang in the music room of the house.
The six-bedroom, 5,800-square-foot home came on the market in July at $2.2
million. Troup, who wrote the song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66," died in 1999
at 80; London, who popularized the song "Cry Me a River," died in October 2000,
at 74.
Andrew Manning of Prudential John Aaroe, Sherman Oaks, represented the
buyers, a Westside attorney and an international art curator.
Elizabeth Summers of Coldwell Banker Previews, Studio City, had the
listing.
Producer Kaz Kuzui, president of Kuzui Enterprises--an independent motion
picture distribution company in Japan--and his director-producer wife, Fran,
have sold their home in Nichols Canyon for $765,000.
They rented an apartment in Santa Monica so they could more easily split
time between their homes in New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles.
The Nichols Canyon home has three bedrooms in 2,500 square feet. Built in
1959, it has a Zen-like simplicity in its post-and-beam and open floor plan
design. French doors open to a pool area surrounded by a wooden deck.
Kaz Kuzui is an executive producer of the TV series "Buffy the Vampire
Slayer" and its spinoff "Angel." Fran Kuzui, who has participated with her
husband in introducing independent films to Japanese audiences, directed the
movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1992), which her husband produced.
Victor Kaminoff, director of architectural and unique properties for
Coldwell Banker's Sunset Strip office, and David Gordon, of the same office,
represented the Kuzuis in selling their Nichols Canyon home.
A five-bedroom home that was a wedding gift from film industry pioneer Cecil
B. DeMille in the '40s to his daughter, Cecilia, when she married Joseph Harper
of the Harper publishing empire, has been listed at just under $1.6 million.
The house, in the gated Los Feliz community Laughlin Park, is on the
market for the first time in more than 24 years.
The legendary director had the house built for his daughter at the foot of
his own rose garden in 1946 and hired the most talented craftsmen to do the
woodwork. Cecilia DeMille often entertained her father's film friends, such as
Charlie Chaplin, in her home, known casually as "the big red barn."
After her husband died, Cecilia DeMille sold the house to actor Ben
Alexander, Jack Webb's partner on the TV series "Dragnet" (1952 to 1970). The
house was subsequently sold to its current owners, Dr. Harry Campbell and his
wife, Sandy. He is a physician at Kaiser, and she is a retired teacher. They
plan to downsize now that their family is grown.
The 3,000-square-foot-plus home has 4.5 bathrooms, a butler's pantry with
leaded glass cabinetry, a breakfast room and an updated kitchen. One of the
bedrooms is a maid's quarters; another is a library with its own bathroom. The
master suite has his-and-hers dressing rooms.
The U-shaped house has a central courtyard, where Cecilia DeMille held
many garden parties. There is also a funicular from the garage to the main
living area.
Rosemary Low at DBL Realtors, Los Feliz, has the listing.