TV tycoon Nigel Lythgoe gives Bel-Air home sale another whirl
So you think you can double your money in Bel-Air? Nigel Lythgoe, the TV mogul behind “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” just relisted his posh estate overlooking the Bel-Air Country Club golf course for $14.25 million.
That’s about twice the $7.48 million he paid for it through a trust a decade ago, property records show.
Once owned by “All in the Family” actress Jean Stapleton, the pedigreed property spans three quarters of an acre and includes a 1930s residence and a two-story guesthouse. In between the two homes, a grassy backyard wraps around a swimming pool.
Traditional in style, the main house holds four bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a handful of elegant living spaces across 5,200 square feet. Fireplaces anchor the living room and formal dining room, and the whitewashed kitchen is centered by a dazzling wood island. Lythgoe remodeled the family room and wood-paneled library during his stay.
The spacious owner’s suite comes complete with a pair of marble bathrooms and a dressing hall lined with mirrored wardrobes. The guesthouse adds a living room, bedroom and bathroom.
Outside, there’s a trellis-topped dining terrace with a TV-mounted brick fireplace. Colorful tiered gardens descend down the hillside, leading to a bright red British-style phone booth tucked at the edge of the property.
A native of England, Lythgoe, 71, produced “Pop Idol” and “American Idol” before co-creating the dance competition show “So You Think You Can Dance,” which has won nine Emmy Awards and run for 16 seasons on Fox.
Bachir Oueida of Douglas Elliman holds the listing.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
