Angela Lansbury’s Brentwood Hacienda Sells in a Flash for Way Over Asking

J.B. Fletcher has done it again — but this time, the famed “Murder, She Wrote” novelist’s latest bestseller is her own real-life home. Earlier this month, the nearly 40-year Los Angeles residence of Angela Lansbury first hit the market, and the house sold quicker than you can type “Aunt Jess.” Records show it transferred for one dollar under $5 million, or $500,000 over the asking price.

That single dollar is significant, because had the property sold for an additional $1, Lansbury’s family would have owed some $200,000 in additional taxes on the sale — as per the terms of L.A.’s new mansion tax.

For now, the buyer’s identity remains a mystery. But records show the house was technically acquired by an LLC, and it’s worth noting that LLCs are commonly used by developers to buy properties, often with the intent to raze or radically reimagine the existing structure into something larger and more modern.

Perhaps that’s not what the buyer intends to do, but Lansbury’s home does lie in one of Brentwood’s most desirable hillside pockets, surrounded by hulking mansions that have sold for tens of millions. Certainly, the actress’s comparatively humble and dated house might make it a prime candidate for demolition.

Set on nearly half an acre of wooded land, the existing house was built in the early 1960s but underwent a significant renovation sometime in the ’70s or early ’80s. Lansbury and her husband Peter Shaw acquired the property in 1985 for $925,000, and it remained the famed actress’s main residence until her October 2022 death. In her free time, Lansbury and her family also enjoyed a stunning farmhouse on the southeastern coast of Ireland.

Back in Brentwood, a tall wall out front gives the house some privacy; inside, the pleasantly unpretentious interiors feature big windows and terracotta tile floors throughout. The master suite, one of four bedrooms on the premises, features a notably large bathroom with a freestanding tub. A utilitarian kitchen is open to the family room, which connects to a sunny terrace. Out back, there’s a charming English-style garden planted by Lansbury herself, plus a large patio and dark-bottom swimming pool.

Mick Partridge of The Beverly Hills Estates and Maksym Khomin of Coldwell Banker held the listing; Partridge also repped the buyer.