Titanic Move for Film Idol

Leonardo DiCaprio has purchased a home in the Hollywood Hills for $3 million.

The home has three bedrooms and four baths in 5,000 square feet. Situated behind gates and at the end of a long drive, the contemporary-style home also has high ceilings, three fireplaces, a motor court, pool, spa and city views. The house was built in the 1960s.

DiCaprio, 24, had been looking to buy a house for himself for some time. He bought a Malibu house, mainly for his mother, about a year ago.

The “Titanic” (1997) co-star next stars in the movie adaptation of the novel “The Beach,” to be released later this year.

He got his first lead in a major film in “This Boy’s Life” (1993). He was then nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actor in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” (1993). DiCaprio also co-starred in “William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet” (1996) before appearing in “Titanic.” In 1998, he was in “Celebrity” and “The Man in the Iron Mask.”

The Hollywood Hills house had not been on the market. The seller was represented by Valerie Fitzgerald of Coldwell Banker Previews, Beverly Hills, and DiCaprio was represented by Brett Lawyer of Nourmand & Associates, other sources said.

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John Taylor, former bass player with the British rock group Duran Duran, has purchased a home in Hollywood, near Runyan Canyon, for $2 million.

Taylor, 39, left the band, which is currently on tour, in 1997. He made his movie debut this fall in “Sugar Town,” which pokes fun at aging rock stars.

Duran Duran was formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has sold more than 40 million albums with such hits as “Hungry Like a Wolf.” Other original members are vocalist Simon Le Bon, guitarist and keyboard player Andy Taylor, keyboard player Nick Rhodes and drummer Roger Taylor.

John Taylor bought a four-bedroom, six-bath house built in the 1930s. The 6,300-square-foot Mediterranean-style house has hideaway-type guest quarters on the third level. The property also has a pool and city views.

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Rick Welts, president of Fox Sports Enterprises, has purchased a home in the Sunset Strip area for about its $1.6-million asking price.

Welts, 46, was hired in July to oversee Fox’s interest in the Dodgers, Staples Center, the Kings and the Lakers. In September, he announced the firing of the Dodgers’ president, Bob Graziano.

Fox also owns part interests in the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and Madison Square Garden. Welts was formerly with the New York-based National Basketball Assn., where he handled the league’s marketing.

He bought a walled and gated home with three family bedrooms, a guest suite and maid’s quarters, plus a master suite with sun deck and views of the city. The Mediterranean-style home, nearly 5,000 square feet, also has a pool.

Ernest Carswell of Coldwell Banker Previews, Beverly Hills, represented Welts, and Linda May of the same office had the listing, sources said.

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Andrew Stevens, president and CEO of Franchise Pictures, has put his Encino home on the market at just under $1.9 million and purchased a larger, more expensive home in a gated Beverly Hills-area community.

Stevens has been a producer of more than 40 motion pictures, including the upcoming feature films “The Whole Nine Yards,” starring Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry, and “Battlefield Earth,” starring John Travolta and Forest Whitaker. Both movies will be released next year.

Stevens, 44, is the son of actress Stella Stevens.

Since he bought his Encino home in 1994, he remodeled it and married his fiancee, Robyn Scott.

The Encino home, on slightly more than an acre, has five bedrooms in 5,000 square feet. The house is on a knoll and has a tennis court and a pool.

Jeanne Valvo of Fred Sands Estates, Beverly Hills, has the listing.

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“Round House,” designed by the late architect John Lautner, is on the market in Shadow Hills at $899,000. Shadow Hills is near Sunland at the north edge of the San Fernando Valley.

Built in 1958 on a three-acre hilltop, the circular home was designed to take advantage of panoramic valley and country views from the equestrian-zoned property.

The 3,600-square-foot house has a master suite and an 1,100-square-foot living room. Made of reinforced concrete, cement block, steel, glass and wood, the house has walls that are movable to provide open or secluded space as desired.

The home also has a connecting two-bedroom guest house, two cabanas, a fan-shaped pool, outdoor spa, bocce ball-horseshoe court and manicured gardens. The home was updated in 1996.

Frank De Santis Jr., a residential and commercial developer, and his wife, Penny, have owned the home since 1992. They want to sell it because they both have asthma, he said. “We love living there, but we want to move to a higher altitude with dryer air.”

During Gov. Pete Wilson’s administration, De Santis, 40, was appointed to serve on the board of the California Housing Partnership Corp., a nonprofit organization that focuses on preserving and expanding affordable housing. He also has been a member of the L.A. County Task Force on Nutrition.

Robert Hovakemian of Coldwell Banker, Glendale, has the listing.

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