This sale was already reported by Mama over at Variety magazine, but Yolanda cannot resist firin’ this car back up and takin’ it on own little spin. Because, well, we like the house. And the sale price — while not record-breaking — is still among the biggest deals ever recorded in the Hollywood Hills.
For those of y’all not aware, a massive contemporary mansion just above the world-famous Sunset Strip was recently listed off-market with a hellacious asking price of $40 million. The glassy residence was built on speculation by Paul McClean — one of LA’s most prominent and successful spec-mansion architects — for the property owner, Irish developer Dean McKillen. (Incidentally, these are the very same folks who developed an $88 million mega-compound in Bel Air that was sold last year to Jay-Z & Beyonce).
For the record, Yolanda is quite fond of Mr. McClean’s architectural work. Homeboy has quite the deft hand at evoking LA’s classic mid-century moderns without resorting to egregious imitation. Unfortunately, his success has spanned innumerable copycats and the surrounding hills are now filled with tons of these lookalike spec-mansions. This property, however, is set apart by its relatively large usable lot — one acre is massive for these tightly-packed hills — and for the size of the house, which clocks in at more than 12,000-square-feet of living space.
Anyway, the mansion eventually sold for the aforementioned discounted $31,500,000 to a blind trust — a front for screenwriter Simon Kinberg, we discovered. Those of y’all not in the entertainment industry may not recognize his name, but you have likely seen at least one of his films: he is the guy behind the X-Men film franchise, as well as hit standalone movies like Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Sherlock Holmes. Those latter two flicks alone grossed more than a billion bucks worldwide, so you know this dude has money.
Mr. Kinberg’s success in writing endowed him with the funds to pursue producing, which he has also done with remarkable success: The Martian brought him an Oscar nomination and Deadpool brought him a $40 million paycheck and vaulted him into the ranks of Hollywood’s highest paid producers.
Even so, despite all his success, Yolanda was downright shocked that Mr. Kinberg can afford a $31.5 million house. That pricetag is nearly within billionaires-only territory, kiddies. Clearly Mr. Kinberg feels like flaunting his dough, although records show that he has quite the eyeball-shredding mortgage on this new pad — nearly $19 million! That is more than $50,000 per month for 30 years. Before interest increases!
Bless his brave real estate heart! Homeboy is a walking ATM.
Clik here to view.
Born in London to wealthy film producer Jud Kinberg (RIP) and his wife Monica, Mr. Kinberg was raised primarily in the wealthy Brentwood area of LA. Homeboy graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Ivy League’s Brown University — what a smartypants! — and later received a prestigious MFA from Columbia.
In 2001, Mr. Kinberg married a PhD named Mali Heled, with whom he has two sons. Unfortunately, the couple separated in 2014 and have since divorced.
Now 44 years old, Mr. Kinberg is a middle-aged single dad. A very rich middle-age single dad, obviously, who is now minting more money than ever before. And really, what better way to announce his success and single-ness than with the ultimate LA bachelor pad?
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
A large black gate guards a 3,600-square-foot motorcourt and four car garage for the Tesla-driving Mr. Kinberg. From the motorcourt, a flight of lighted steps leads up to the home’s ground level. A 100-foot-long, crescent-shaped pool with sweeping, panty-dropping views over Downtown and a wide swathe of the LA basin defines the backyard. Numerous seating and entertaining options are provided on the home’s expansive back terrace, and a long firepit runs parallel to the pool.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Soaring ceilings and endless disappearing walls of glass define the inner sanctums. A double-sided fireplace offers warmth to both the living and family rooms. Although listing materials do not specify, Yolanda would guess those are limestone (?) floors.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
The kitchen features a center island with bar-style seating and every high-end, futuristic appliance known to mankind. We do like the sleek look of the black glass everything, but we wonder if that might be a fingerprint nightmare. But we suppose that is for the servants to worry about.
An enormous movie theaters features sprawling sofa beds and — oddly enough — what appears to be a surfboard in the corner. Huh?
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
There are a total of seven 7 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms on the property, and the master suite has the expected private balcony, glassy shower, and a soaking tub positioned rather daringly next to a floor-to-ceiling window. (Hope Mr. Kinberg does not mind being an exhibitionist now and again.) Also upstairs is a “fitness suite” that includes a gym with city views and a marble steam room with dry sauna.
For a video tour of the property, please click here.
Anywho, Mr. Kinberg’s snazzy new house is not his first Hollywood Hills home, or even his second. Way back in 2004, he and his then-wife paid $2,850,000 for a lovely Spanish-style compound in the nearby Bird Streets area. Records show they sold the property in 2013 for $3,450,000 to David Katzenberg, son of former Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Clik here to view.
In late 2012, the Kinbergs ponied up a fat $8,600,000 for a cedar-shingled spec-mansion in the fancy Riviera neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. The house has approximately 7,500-suqare-feet fo living space and is situated on a quiet (and pretty) cul-de-sac. Yolanda’s understanding is that the ex-Mrs. Kinberg continues to reside in this house with the kids.
Clik here to view.
In late 2015, in the midst of his divorce, Mr. Kinberg paid $8,400,000 for a brand-new, Traditional-style compound located in his old haunt, the Bird Streets. In fact, it is on the same street and just a few doors up from his old Bird Streets pad, the one he sold to Mr. Katzenberg in 2013.
Clik here to view.
Mr. Kinberg has been attempting to unload this Bird Streets nest since the beginning of 2018, and it looks like at least one escrow already fell through. The house is currently listed at $8.5 million and is again in contract to be sold.
Fingers crossed it closes this time. We imagine that will help with those pesky mortgage payments.
Listing agents: Branden & Rayni Williams, Hilton & Hyland; Tyrone McKillen, Hilton & Hyland