Almost two years after he first set it out for sale at a sliver under $6.5 million, big-budget movie producer Basil Iwanyk finally sold his rambling 1930s Monterey colonial residence in the rustic-luxe lower Mandeville Canyon area of Los Angeles for $5.2 million. The “Sicario,” “Clash of the Titans” and “The Expendables” franchise producer, principal of Thunder Road Pictures, purchased the almost half-acre property in the fall of 2007 for a bit below $5 million. Sequestered behind electronic driveway gates and a towering hedge, the slightly more than 4,600-square-foot designer residence, described in marketing materials as a “perfect blend of cozy, casual and chic,” has five bedrooms and six bathrooms.
A classic center-hall entry steps down to a formal living room with hardwood floors, a fireplace and French doors at opposite ends of the room that open to both the front and back yards. There’s also a dining room with hand-painted wallpaper, a compact den with a raised fireplace and a family room with a white-brick kiva-style corner fireplace, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and French doors.
The kitchen, with a sophisticated gray-and-white checkerboard marble floor, features ebony countertops on snow-white cabinets, an expensive array of name-brand appliances, a roomy butler’s pantry and, in the center of the room, three industrial light fixtures above a banquet hall-size marble-topped dining table. Upstairs are four en suite guest and family bedrooms plus a lavender-walled master suite replete with a private covered terrace, a long dressing hall fitted with glamorous mirrored wardrobes and a marble-floored bathroom with a double vanity, a free-standing soaking tub and a glass-enclosed shower.
A wall-to-wall carpeted entertainment room in what appears to be a converted garage includes a room-wide bank of French doors that spill out to a tree-shaded backyard with great sweeps of lawn, a built-in barbecue, a swimming pool and spa and a charming tree house with a canyon view.
UPDATE (06-21-17): Word on the real estate street is that the property was acquired by two-time Emmy winning “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Cheryl Hines and activist/attorney Robert Kennedy who just sold their Malibu compound for $6.025 million to Kenny G’s ex-wife Lyndie Benson.
listing photos: The Agency
