A few days ago, our Mama at Variety reported that critically-lauded actress/comedian/writer Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, Saturday Night Live) sold her redone Silver Lake shanty for $5,225,000, or a hefty $100,000 more than the asking price.
For those of y’all unfamiliar with the neighborhood, $5.2 million is a huge number for LA’s Eastside. It’s more than double what any other home in hipster-approved Silver Lake has fetched in the last three years. Moreover, it’s easily the second-biggest sale on record in the area, behind only the $8.55 million that the iconic — and far larger — Silvertop estate by John Lautner brought back in 2014. (FYI, Silvertop happens to be right next door to the just-sold Wiig digs).
Naturally nosy ol’ Yolanda wanted to know who the big-bucks buyer was. Well, the property was technically sold to a trust (as y’all might expect), but we managed to ferret out the new owner’s identity. He’s a guy named Tim Disney.
57-year-old Mr. Disney was born into vast wealth. Yes, kids, we’re talking those Disneys. Tim is a grand-nephew of Walt Disney, founder of the whole shebang, and a grandson of Roy O. Disney, Walt’s older brother and business partner. He’s also a son of the late billionaire Roy E. Disney, the last Disney family member to be actively involved with the company.
As for Tim, he has made a name for himself in Hollywood as a prolific independent filmmaker — he’s a screenwriter, director, and executive producer all in one. His specialty seems to be interesting documentaries, but he’s also got dramas like A Question of Faith and American Violet in his repertoire.
Now married to his second wife Neda, with whom he has a young daughter, Mr. Disney also has a teenage son — Ciaran Disney — with his first wife, Star Trek actress Martha Hackett.
In addition to his film interests, our boy clearly has a thing for houses, too. Particularly places with interesting or unusual architecture. More on that in a little bit — first, here’s a peek at his new pad.
Designed by relatively unknown mid-century modern architect Albert P. Martin, the house was built in 1954 as his personal residence. Records show that Ms. Wiig scooped up the 0.4-acre hillside property in 2014 for just $1,700,000, after which she hired Taalman Architecture and The Archers to transform the dated abode into a stylish casa fit for a modern lifestyle.
The decidedly retro result spans approximately 2,500-square-feet of living space with 3 beds and 2.5 baths in the main house.
From the street-level two-car garage, it’s a booty-bustin’ steep climb up a long series of stairs to reach the home’s front door. Watch your step if you’ve got arms full of groceries. (Kinda reminds us of that legendary Laurel & Hardy skit, but we digress).
Inside the candy-apple-red front door is a wee entrance foyer and two sitting rooms: one done up as an office and the other with vintage leather chairs by a fireplace.
Also on the main level is a spacious screening room and two guest bedrooms. A slim staircase leads upstairs to the main entertaining areas and the master suite, which features a bedroom with views of the Silver Lake Reservoir, a dressing room, and a spacious bathroom.
The airy living area upstairs includes distinct sitting and dining spaces plus a chic kitchen with high-end appliances and glassy walnut cabinetry. Floor-to-ceiling glass sliders let the indoors spill out to various pavilions outside, and there’s plenty of space for open-air dining and/or sunbathing.
Ms. Wiig’s construction work included the addition of a new 1,000-square-foot glassy guesthouse/entertainment pavilion that is separate from the main residence and includes an additional bedroom and full bathroom. Also within there are a lounge and a sleek living room with concrete walls and hardwood floors.
Just outside the guesthouse is an expansive deck and a brand-new pool/spa combo that appears (form a distance) to be cantilevered directly over the reservoir. That’s quite something. It ain’t cheap to build a hillside pool, kids, and to build a hillside pool situated in that way — and on an ultra-steep lot like this to boot — must’ve cost Ms. Wiig a small fortune in engineering and construction fees. Thank yourselves for getting her those Bridesmaids royalty checks — y’all made this place possible.
Anywho, Mr. and Mrs. Disney currently reside in nearby Los Feliz, in a renovated 1930 Spanish estate they bought for $6,400,000 back in 2016 (below).
For unknown reasons, the Disneys also owned a giant building near the Hancock Park neighborhood of LA. They paid $3,700,000 for the property in April 2013.
To Yolanda the place looks like a warehouse or some sort of laboratory, but the structure includes 7 beds, 5 baths, and a kitchen with fancy stainless appliances. So we suppose it could be used as a residence.
Records show that Mr. Disney sold the oddball structure for $4,450,000 last year (April 2017). The buyers, in case y’all were wondering, were a non-famous local couple.
The Disneys also keep an offbeat weekend retreat in the desert community of Joshua Tree, a couple hours (by car) east of Los Angeles. The house — a foldable prefab confection — was dreamt up by Bay Area-based builder Blu Homes.
As for Ms. Wiig, she long since traded the cool kids in Silver Lake for the untamed wilds of the San Gabriel Valley — specifically the far more traditional and family-oriented city of Pasadena. As Yolanda blabbed to y’all, she paid nearly $3 million for the extensively updated Case Study #10 there last year.
Ms. Wiig’s historic Pasadena residence is situated on what is oft-considered to be the most prestigious street in the city. Some of her nearest neighbors include Oscar De La Hoya, billionaire Charlie Munger (he’s Warren Buffett’s longtime right-hand man), and Elon Musk’s (former?) girlfriend Grimes.
Kristen Wiig’s agents: Byrony Atkinson, Maisonre Real Estate; George Penner, Deasy Penner Podley
Tim Disney’s agent: Peter Kinnaird, Compass