An ‘Angel’ heads for the Hills

Demi Moore, who plays the villainous “fallen angel” Madison Lee in the sequel “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” has purchased a Beverly Hills-area home for about $3.4 million.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom home, on nearly an acre dotted with oak and sycamore trees, was built in the 1950s but was recently redesigned. The 4,500-plus-square-foot house has a glass-and-steel entry and a two-story living room. The home also has a library, recreation room, koi pond and pool.

Moore began her acting career as a regular on the daytime drama “General Hospital.” She later starred in such films as “Ghost” (1990), “Indecent Proposal” (1993), “Disclosure” (1994), “The Scarlet Letter” (1995), “Striptease” (1995), “G.I. Jane” (1997) and “Passion of Mind” (2000).

Since her 1998 split with actor Bruce Willis, she has spent much of her time raising their three daughters in Idaho, where Moore and Willis own commercial and residential real estate.

Moore, 40, generated publicity for the “Charlie’s Angels” sequel with her sexy appearance in the film and her high-profile relationship off screen with actor Ashton Kutcher, 25.

Actress opts for new ‘Worlds’

Ann Robinson, who co-starred in the sci-fi classic “The War of the Worlds” (1953) with Gene Barry and Les Tremayne, moved into her Los Feliz home with her mother and father in 1945. She has lived there on and off ever since, but now she and her husband, Joseph Valdez, have purchased another residence and listed her family home at $899,000.

The traditional-style house has four bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms in nearly 4,000 square feet. It was built in 1937 for entertaining and has large public rooms, high ceilings, wood floors, an open kitchen and two fireplaces.

Robinson lived in the home during filming of “The War of the Worlds,” an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel. When she was under contract with Paramount, she set up a projection room, which still has soundproofed walls.

The back rooms and balconies have views from the Los Feliz Hills to the mountains. On a clear day in the winter, you can see the snow on Mt. Baldy, Robinson said.

After a busy career in the 1950s, Robinson didn’t reappear on film for nearly 30 years after she married Mexican matador Jaime Bravo on the same day she met him in Tijuana in 1957. They followed the bullfight circuit to Mexico City, Spain or South America each year, before divorcing in 1967. Robinson appeared in “Midnight Movie Massacre” (1988).

She was also in such ‘50s films as “The Glass Wall,” “Bad for Each Other” and “Julie.” “The War of the Worlds” will be shown Thursday at a screening marking its 50th anniversary. The American Cinematheque and Paramount Pictures will present the film at 7:30 p.m. at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood to benefit the Motion Picture & Television Fund and AIDS research.

Francis R. Gibbons and Thomas Inatomi of Prudential John Aaroe, Los Feliz, have the listing on Robinson’s house.

Tinker’s next show: a new home

TV icon Grant Tinker has sold his Bel-Air home of 14 years for about its $8.35-million asking price. The buyer is Allan Rudnick, president and chief investment officer for Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management in Century City.

The house has five bedrooms and nine bathrooms in 7,800 square feet. It was built in 1980 on 1.5 acres bordering the Bel-Air Country Club. The Mediterranean-style home, at the end of a gated driveway, also has a guest studio, a pool and a tennis court.

Tinker plans to remain in the L.A. area. The industry legend’s TV career spans more than 30 years in a number of positions in network programming and production. During the 1970s and ‘80s, he was president and co-founder with his then wife, actress Mary Tyler Moore, of MTM Enterprises, which produced “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Lou Grant” and “St. Elsewhere.”

Known as “the man who saved NBC” with quality programming when he was the network’s chairman and chief executive from 1981 to 1986, he later became an independent producer.

Brooke Knapp and Drew Mandile of Sotheby’s International Realty, Beverly Hills, had the listing, and Joyce Rey of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, represented the buyer, sources said.

His Brentwood record has ended

Ray Cooper, former co-president of Virgin Records America, has sold his Brentwood home for $2 million. He moved to another residence in the L.A. area.

As joint managing director of Virgin’s UK record label before becoming co-president, Cooper helped nurture such bestselling acts as the Spice Girls, Chemical Brothers and Verve. He moved to L.A. from Britain when he became co-president in the late 1990s.

His former three-bedroom, 3,200-square-foot home, on slightly more than an acre, has city and canyon views. Its grounds have been described as park-like, with mature trees. The home, built in the late 1960s, has walls of glass, a den, 3 1/2 bathrooms, three fireplaces and a master suite that occupies the entire lower level and opens onto a large yard.

June Scott and Mark Goldsmith had the listing at June Scott Estates, a Coldwell Banker company in Beverly Hills.

Canada gains an L.A. toehold

Peter R. Simpson, a Canadian producer based in Toronto, has purchased a pied-a-terre in West Hollywood for about $700,000.

The unit is one of 21 in the condominium conversion, which was built in 1930 as an apartment building. It was converted to condos in the 1950s. Among its famous early residents were Bette Davis, Eddie Cantor and Joan Blondell. More recent celebrity residents have included Sandra Bullock, Tim Burton and Hugh Grant.

The building, known as the Colonial House, has a doorman and caretaker, Russell Anderson, 91, who has worked there for 54 years.

Simpson bought his unit from Stephen Wilson of Wilson Design Group. The condo, recently refurbished by Wilson, has views from downtown L.A. to Santa Monica.

Brian V. Moore and Laura Moore of Re/Max, Sunset, shared the listing.

Designer’s work begins at home

Steve Jones, who designed such hot spots as the Hump sushi bar at Santa Monica Airport and the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley in Hollywood through his S.F. Jones, Architects in Marina del Rey, has completed a rehab and expansion of his Manhattan Beach home.

The house, appraised at $1.3 million, has four bedrooms in 2,700 square feet. It was originally two bedrooms in 840 square feet.

The house uses stone inside and out, and it has dramatic lighting and a front room with exposed trusses visible from outside.

Jones’ wife, Stephanie, had some input on the design. She’s an urban planner.

Jones had also collaborated with Barbara Lazaroff on the design of Spago in Beverly Hills and Chinois restaurant in Las Vegas.

To see previous columns on celebrity transactions visit www.latimes.com/hotproperty.