Frasier Taking Calls in Malibu

By RUTH RYON

May 31, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

KELSEY GRAMMER, whose NBC sitcom, “Frasier,” will fill the former “Seinfeld” slot on Thursdays next season, has purchased a Malibu home on nearly five acres for $4.5 million, sources say.

The Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor will return to the Thursday 9 p.m. time in which he appeared on “Cheers” as the same psychiatrist character he plays on “Frasier,” a “Cheers” spinoff since 1993.

Since the launch of “Frasier,” Grammer, 43, produced the NBC movie “The Innocent” (1994), starred in the comedy film “Down Periscope” (1996), produced the TV series “Fired Up,” and voiced the character of Vladimir in the animated movie “Anastasia” (1997).

He also was married in 1997 to model Camille Donatacci and hosted this year’s Grammy Awards.

Grammer bought a gated estate on parklike grounds with ocean and canyon views, a pool, tennis court, 14-stable barn and riding ring.

The seven-bedroom, 8,200-square-foot home has a main house, built in the late 1940s, and a guest house, built in recent years.

Victoria Risko and Joan Cohen of Sotheby’s International Realty in Beverly Hills had the listing, other sources said.

KEANU REEVES, who will play a rock star in his upcoming movie “Great Jones Street” and was working in Australia earlier this year on the science-fiction thriller “The Matrix,” has purchased a Los Feliz home for his mother, a costume designer, for $1.65 million, sources say.

Reeves, 33, has spent more time this past year playing bass in his band Dogstar than appearing in movies. He moved to L.A. in 1986 from Toronto, where he had lived with his family, and made his film debut in “Youngblood” the same year.

He first starred in “River’s Edge” (1986) and then appeared in such movies as “Dangerous Liaisons” (1988), “Point Break” (1991), “Speed” (1994), “A Walk in the Clouds” (1995) and “Feeling Minnesota” (1996).

The Los Feliz home that he bought was built in the 1930s and was recently restored. The 5,000-square-foot, Mission Revival-style house has five bedrooms, a media room, library, spa and sauna. The walled and gated estate also has some olive trees imported from Spain.

David Gray of John Aaroe & Associates, Beverly Hills, represented Reeves in his purchase, and Jodi Hodges of Fred Sands’ Los Feliz and Sunset Strip offices had the listing with Dorothy Carter of Coldwell Banker-Jon Douglas Co., Sunset Strip, other sources said.

Veteran actor HAL LINDEN and his wife, Frances, have listed their Brentwood home of more than 20 years at $3.75 million.

The Tony- and Emmy-winning actor alternated with Roddy McDowall at Christmas playing Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol” at Madison Square Garden Theater in Manhattan. He also starred in the ABC sitcom “Barney Miller” (1975-82), the ABC series “Jack’s Place” (1992-93) and the CBS sitcom “The Boys Are Back” (1994-95).

The Lindens, who have been married for 40 years, are moving to an ocean-front condo, sources say. Their four children are grown, and the Lindens don’t need as much space as they have had in their longtime home.

Built in 1930, their Brentwood home has a 4,400-square-foot main house plus detached, one-bedroom guest quarters. The home has a master suite with a fireplace and his-and-her baths, four other bedrooms, a maid’s room, an office and a den.

An English cottage in style, the home also has a garden, circular drive and a pool.

Mike Silverman and Kay Pick share the listing at Mike Silverman Estates, a Coldwell Banker-Jon Douglas Co., in Beverly Hills.

DAN CORTESE, who plays model-turned-publicist Perry on the NBC sitcom “Veronica’s Closet,” has purchased a beach home for close to $1.8 million, sources say.

The home has been described as newly built and Mediterranean in style with 6,000 square feet on an acre.

Before joining “Veronica’s Closet,” Cortese, 30, had a recurring role as a neighbor in the NBC sitcom “The Single Guy” and played Jess, Jake’s brother, on Fox’s prime-time soap “Melrose Place.” Last year, he played a geologist in the ABC movie “Volcano: Fire on the Mountain.”

A 10-acre Hollywood Hills site owned for years by HOWARD HUGHES and his RKO Pictures has come on the market at $5 million.

The land, at the top of Beachwood Canyon at the Hollywood sign, is being marketed as a potential building pad for an estate with a main house, guest house and tennis court.

Hughes had planned to build himself a home there when he was in control of RKO Pictures, but he never did.

RKO Pictures, one of Hollywood’s oldest studios, was founded in 1928. It was one of Hollywood’s most powerful studios during the 1930s, with such movies as the original “King Kong” and the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers hit “Top Hat.”

Hughes bought a controlling stake in the studio in 1948, but his attempts to control every aspect of production were blamed for the collapse of the studio, which stopped making movies in the 1950s. Hughes died in 1976.

In the mid-1980s, the studio was brought back into film production, but in 1989, when RKO was on the verge of liquidation, a majority stake was purchased by a company owned by actor-turned-Wall Streeter Ted Hartley and his wife, former actress Dina Merrill.

The 10-acre site was not part of that deal, however, and it is being sold by GenCorp, a Fortune 500 company and former owner of RKO Pictures.

The site, which has ocean, city and valley views, is listed with Ron Holliman and Edith Newman at Coldwell Banker-Jon Douglas Co., Beverly Hills.