Jean Smart’s already long, illustrious career has been launched into overdrive with her sublime portrayal of stand-up comedy legend Deborah Vance on the HBO series “Hacks.” The role has earned her a SAG Award, a Golden Globe and two Emmys, which she added to the three she already had. With her star shining as brightly as ever, it looks like she’s decided change-up her residential circumstances; tax records show the former “Frasier” and “Samantha Who?” star has coughed up $5.25 million to purchase a Tinseltown pedigreed pad in Toluca Lake.
Once owned by veteran TV writer/producer Donald Todd (“This Is Us,” “Ugly Betty”), the property was purchased in 2004 for almost $2.5 million by comedian George Lopez and his then wife, Ann. The property was transferred to Ann around the time of their 2011 divorce, and it was she who sold the house in an off-market deal to Smart.
Since the property was not listed on the open market, details of its current condition and configuration are limited. However, descriptions from when the home was on the market way back in 2002 describe the property as a “magnificent Spanish Estate on sprawling grounds w/ pool & spa.” Now secured behind locked gates and obscured behind clouds of trees and other plantings, tax records and other online resources reveal the vintage 1924-residence sits on about .41 acres and spans more than 5,300 square feet with five bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Any number of restorations and/or alterations may have been made, of course, but marketing material from when the house was listed 20 years ago indicate the house boasts a two-story foyer with a grand staircase, a living room with beamed ceiling, a dining room with fireplace, and a primary suite with two walk-in closets. Other highlights include a library, a solarium, and gated parking. Drought-considering swathes of fake grass amid dense landscaping provides leafy privacy in the backyard.
The change of address may have something to do with the death of Smart’s longtime spouse, actor Richard Gilliland, whom she met in 1987 when he played the boyfriend of Annie Potts’ character on the set of the groundbreaking socially conscious sitcom “Designing Women.” Gilliland passed away almost two years ago, at the age of 71 after a short illness.
Gilliland and Smart, who occasionally pops up as the Depression Kitty character on the animated series “Big Mouth,” took a guest starring spin through the hit series “Mare of Easttown” last year and appeared in the feature film “Wildflower” earlier this year, long made their home in Encino. Purchased in 2002 for a tad more than $1.5 million and hidden down a long, gated driveway, the three-quarter-acre estate is anchored by a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath New England farmhouse. A swimming pool, a large detached three-car garage with a one-bed/one-bath attached guesthouse, and extensive gardens complete the property.
