Actor Hank Azaria buys $10-million Bel-Air home

By Lauren Beale

May 30, 2009 12 AM PT

It’s a far cry from Springfield, but comedic actor and “The Simpsons” voice artist Hank Azaria recently purchased a home in Bel-Air for $10 million.

The gated traditional has seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in about 9,000 square feet of living space, according to the Multiple Listing Service. It sits on nearly three-quarters of an acre.

Built in 1932, the two-story view home includes four fireplaces, a dance studio, an art studio, a den and a library. The living room opens out onto a backyard patio, a spacious lawn, a gazebo with an additional outdoor fireplace and a swimming pool. Public records show the house sold in 2004 for $6.25 million.

Azaria, 45, plays the villainous pharaoh Kahmunrah in the 20th Century Fox comedy-adventure sequel “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.” He will appear as Abraham in the biblical satire “Year One,” a June release starring Jack Black. On television, he portrayed midlife-crisis-facing psychiatrist Craig Huffstodt on Showtime’s “Huff” (2004-06).

The Emmy-winning Azaria has voiced a score of characters on “The Simpsons” since the show started in 1989, including Moe the bartender, Chief Wiggum, Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu and Comic Book Guy.

‘Dawson’s Creek’ star going west

Actor James Van Der Beek, of “Dawson’s Creek” fame, and his actress wife, Heather McComb, have sold their Studio City home, which had been listed at $2,445,000.

Built in 1999, the nearly 3,000-square-foot gated home has three bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms and 180-degree canyon, mountain and city views. French doors open to a patio with a mist cooling system, swimming pool and spa.

The upstairs master suite has a fireplace, beamed cathedral ceiling and walk-in closet.

The couple had put the home on the market in mid-March and plan to buy on the Westside.

Van Der Beek, 32, had the title role of Dawson Leery in “Dawson’s Creek” (1998-2003). His film roles include the leads in “Varsity Blues” (1999) and “The Rules of Attraction” (2002). This year he stars in the thriller “Formosa Betrayed.”

McComb, 32, has had recurring roles in the TV series “Prison Break” (2008-09) and “Profiler” (1997-98).

Adrienne J. Kessler of Keller Williams Realty, Sunset office, had the listing.

Happy ending for biographer

The Hollywood Hills compound of biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli has sold for $3.1 million.

The Spanish Colonial-style walled and gated property has a main house with four bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms and a guesthouse with two bedrooms and two bathrooms for a total of 4,557 square feet of living space.

The home, built in 1941, sits on about half an acre with city and mountain views. There is a courtyard entry, 20-foot pitched open-beam ceilings, stained glass, wrought-iron chandeliers, balconies and a swimming pool.

Taraborrelli, 53, has written several New York Times bestsellers, including “Elizabeth,” the biography of Elizabeth Taylor. His book “The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe” is due out in August.

Frank Bruno, Keller Williams Realty Sunset, had the listing. Roberta Collins, Coldwell Banker, Los Feliz, represented the buyer.

Completion for NFL quarterback

Oakland Raiders quarterback Jeff Garcia and his Playboy model wife, Carmella, have sold their Manhattan Beach home for $2.5 million.

The three-story Mediterranean, built in 2005, has five bedrooms and five bathrooms in 4,259 square feet.

The entry of the open-plan house has marble floors and a spiral staircase. There are ocean and city lights views and an elevator.

Garcia, 39, who was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before signing a one-year contract with the Raiders last month, also has played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions, among other NFL and Canadian Football League teams.

Carmella, 26, was the 2004 Playboy Playmate of the Year.

Garcia bought the home in 2006 for $2,775,000, when Ed Kaminsky of Shorewood Realtors, Manhattan Beach, had the listing. The listing agent this time was Jenna Christensen of Keller Williams Realty, South Bay.

It’s a model of French design

Cover girl turned custom home builder Cathleen Gallagher has listed her Pacific Palisades residence for $4.25 million.

The 5,978-square-foot house, with five bedrooms and five bathrooms, was the first one she built herself -- planning and seeing the project through to completion.

To create a home that captured the spirit of Provence, Gallagher used French EBay to buy authentic pieces and materials, including two iron-and-glass street lamps, four 17th century fireplaces, reclaimed beams, antique doors, pavers and limestone.

The overseas shopping spree resulted in some challenges, however.

“The shutters were in centimeters,” said Gallagher, who had to convert measurements to inches to make sure they fit. “It wasn’t easy, but it worked out beautifully.”

The house, built in 2003, has a floating staircase, a turret, a wine cellar, a home theater and a guest suite with its own entrance. Outdoors, there’s a kitchen with a pizza oven and a playhouse built to look like the main house.

One of Gallagher’s favorite things about the property is the olive trees, which were moved from Northern California; they had been slated to be sold for kindling. “They’re 45 years old now,” Gallagher said, “and I feel they give the house a lot of character.”

The former model appeared on more than 20 Vogue covers worldwide. She has built eight houses locally in the last six years.

Listing agents are Anthony Marguleas of Amalfi Estates, Pacific Palisades, and Steve Frankel, Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills East.

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