Leeza Gibbons springs for a pedigreed Paul Williams home in Hancock Park
Talk show host and one-time “Apprentice” winner Leeza Gibbons has paid $5.46 million for a historic Hancock Park home.
The Country English-style home was designed by Paul R. Williams and built in 1928. Homes designed by Williams have attracted generations of Hollywood stars, and the charming two-story is no exception. The house was owned in the mid-2000s by actors and former couple Coleman Laffoon and Anne Heche.
For the last decade, the property was owned by television writer-producer Matt Olmstead and his wife, NBCUniversal executive Dawn Parouse Olmstead.
Set on a tree-lined street, the house has been updated while retaining many classic details. Arched doorways, leaded and stained-glass windows and original fixtures are among features of note. Rich wood-paneled ceilings and an antique mirror above the fireplace keep the eyes moving upward in the living room.
Some 5,200 square feet of living space holds a dining room with a fireplace, an updated kitchen, a family room and an office. There are five bedrooms and six bathrooms including an expanded master suite.
A two-story guest house sits next to the swimming pool and outdoor kitchen in the backyard. Tall privacy hedges, brick patios and lawn fill out the grounds.
Gibbons, 62, hosted “Leeza,” her daytime talk show, from 1993 to 2000. More recently, she served as host of “America Now,” “Extra” and the PBS show “My Generation.”
In 2015, she won “Celebrity Apprentice,” becoming the second woman to win the reality show.
Matt Olmstead has writing and producing credits that include the acclaimed police procedural drama “NYPD Blue,” “Chicago Fire” and “Brooklyn South.” He is the co-creator of the spin-off series “Chicago P.D.” Dawn Parouse Olmstead currently serves as president of Universal Content Productions for NBC Universal.
The property hit the market in July for $5.395 million and sold in three weeks, records show.
Jason Reitz of Rock Realty Group was the listing agent. Michael Sutton of the Agency represented the buyer.
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