Realtor: Luxe Estate of Hollywood Legend Norman Lear Gets a Rewrite

Monday, December 26, 2016

Luxe Estate of Hollywood Legend Norman Lear Gets a Rewrite

Amanda Edwards/WireImage

A legend in the entertainment industry is offering up one of Los Angeles‘ legendary estates. The reconfigured Brentwood compound of 94-year-old TV impresario Norman Lear is now on the market for $39.95 million.

The creator of iconic TV shows including “All In the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Maude,” and “One Day at a Time” and his producer-writer wife, Lynn Lear, bought the Mandeville Canyon property in the late ’80s, and improved it over the years.

The couple added a two-story guesthouse with a round jacuzzi and an outdoor kitchen, a tennis court, staff offices, a gym, and a 30-car garage.

They also purchased a three-bedroom house on an adjacent lot and added it to their portfolio. The additional home was part of a larger $55 million listing back in September 2015, but the adjacent home isn’t part of the current offering, and the new price reflects it. In fact, the Lears might move into the three-bedroom home if they don’t find another property to their liking by the time they sell the estate, according to listing agents Jade Mills and Valerie Fitzgerald of Coldwell Banker Previews International.

Norman Lear’s legendary estate.

Jim Bartsch

Bird’s eye view of the estate

Jim Bartsch

“Now that their children are grown, they don’t need all that space,” Mills explained. The Lears raised their three children together there, their son Ben, 28, and 22-year-old twin daughters, Madeleine and Brianna. They’ve also hosted storied gatherings that have included U.S. presidents and A-listers, screenings of Lear’s latest work in the elegant home theater, and lectures and discussions. “They created a meeting spot,” says Fitzgerald. “They love stimulating conversation and the exchange of ideas.”

Two-story living room of Lear estate main residence

Two-story living room of main residence.

Jim Bartsch

The estate, especially Lear’s “cigar box”-style study with a view and the independent office complex, has also been the site of huge creativity. In addition to his iconic work on the small screen, Lear has produced feature films like “The Princess Bride,” “Stand by Me,” and “This Is Spinal Tap.”

Lear estate theater

Jim Bartsch

Unique dining room, where the Hollywood elite meet to eat

Jim Bartsch

The 8.3-acre property includes an elegant, 14,000-square foot main residence with seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and four half-bathrooms.

There are spectacular views of the city to the ocean from many of the rooms. There’s also a large pool and spa, parklike grounds, meticulously tended gardens, and large lawns. Mills says the estate is “truly captivating, unparalleled by its beauty, quality, sophistication, and elegance. This isn’t simply a home—it’s a lifestyle.”