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Rupert Murdoch’s nephew lists equestrian estate in Brentwood for $21.5M

Red-tile roof home in Riviera Ranch was the longtime home of actress Maxine Cooper

Murdoch Nephew Lists Horse Estate in Brentwood for $21.5M
Asena Tax Advisors' David Calvert-Jones with 13233 Riviera Ranch Road (Asena Tax Advisors, Google Maps, Getty)

A nephew of media mogul Rupert Murdoch has listed a 6,300-square-foot ranch house in Brentwood for $21.5 million.

Businessman and producer David Calvert-Jones and his wife Karina are selling the equestrian estate at 13233 Riviera Ranch Road, in Riviera Ranch, according to the Robb Report.

The couple bought the two-thirds-acre property with a guest house and horse stable in 2010 for $4.4 million.

The five-bedroom, six-bathroom home, designed by Cliff May in 1941, was owned for half a century by Hollywood actress and activist Maxine Cooper, best known for her role as private detective Mike Hammer’s secretary Velda in the 1955 film noir classic “Kiss Me Deadly” and TV spots on “Dragnet,” “Perry Mason” and “The Twilight Zone.” 

She and her husband Sy Gomberg, an Oscar-nominated producer and screenwriter, bought the home they dubbed “Paradise Found” for $122,500 back in the mid-1960s. 

The Calvert-Joneses renovated and expanded the split-level home, built of stone and stucco and topped by a red-tile roof.

The house, hidden behind a hedge at the end of a gated driveway lined with mature olive trees, has rustic hardwood floors, vaulted wood-beam ceilings, and steel-framed windows and doors.

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Behind its hand-carved wooden door is a fireside living room that doubles as a screening room, which leads into a formal dining room through pocket wood doors.

A gourmet kitchen connects to a glass-lined breakfast room with an antler chandelier. Highlights include a family room and private office. A master bedroom has a fireside sitting area, walk-in closet and spa-like bathroom. 

Two French doors open outside, where the detached guest house and stable form a courtyard containing a swimming pool and open-air cabana. A motor court leads to a three-car garage.

Brokers Drew Fenton and Bjorn Farrugia of Carolwood Estates, and Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker Realty hold the listing.

David Calvert-Jones’ mother is Elisabeth Janet Murdoch Calvert-Jones, younger sister of the Australian-born publishing and broadcast mogul Rupert Murdoch.

— Dana Bartholomew

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David Calvert-JonesMaxine CooperRupert Murdoch