Eric Schmidt of Google buys Peck estate for $22 million [Photos]

Eric Schmidt, the billionaire executive chairman of Google, has bought the Veronique and Gregory Peck estate on L.A.’s Westside for $22 million.

Set on 1.3 acres, the 1930s French chateau sits at the end of a long driveway and is surrounded by a flat lawn, mature trees and lush gardens. The neighbors include heiress Petra Ecclestone, White House interior designer Michael Smith and the Playboy Mansion.

Designed for grand-scale entertaining, the 9,182 square feet of living space features the original marble-walled foyer, vaulted ceilings, formal dining and living rooms, an office, a bar, four fireplaces, seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms.

French doors throughout the house open to patio space and a swimming pool.

An architectural gem in the desert

Schmidt, 58, had an estimated wealth of $8.3 billion last year, according to Forbes, making him the 138th-wealthiest person in the world.

Gregory Peck, who died in 2003 at 87, won an acting Oscar for his starring role as Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird� (1962). Among his other memorable films are “Roman Holiday� (1953), “The Guns of Navarone� (1961) and “MacArthur� (1977).

Veronique Peck bought the property the year her husband died for $14.135 million, public records show, and filled it with his memorabilia.

Rick Hilton, Jeffrey Hyland and Rayni Romito of Hilton & Hyland, exclusive affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, as well as Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker were the listing agents. Ron de Salvo, also with Coldwell Banker, represented Schmidt.

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