Hot Property

Albert Brooks has listed the former Merv Griffin property at $6.995 million. (Nick Springett)

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By Lauren Beale, Los Angeles Times

February 13, 2012, 3:14 p.m.

An estate in Bel-Air that was previously owned by television host Merv Griffin is for sale at $6.995 million.

The 5,500-square-foot single-story house is set at the end of a gated driveway beside a circular motor court. The red-tile roofed home features four bedrooms, wood-paneled ceilings, expanses of windows and 20-foot-high ceilings in the living room. The 2.5-acre site includes a tennis court, an infinity pool with spa, mature trees and stretches of lawn.

The property, being marketed outside the Multiple Listing Service, is for sale for the first time in more than 19 years. The seller is Albert Brooks, 64, the actor-filmmaker whose bad-guy role in last year's "Drive" drew critical acclaim. His credits also include guest spots on "The Simpsons" since 1990.

In other Griffin-related news, the estate of his longtime chief executive and attorney Tom Gallagher is listed in Indio at $8.995 million.

Called Estancia de Bougainvillea, the five-acre property contains a 14,000-square-foot house, a swimming pool with spa and an acre-size lake. The updated home features an inner courtyard with a 16-foot fountain, a great room overlooking the lake, a 15-seat theater, nine bedrooms and 121/2 bathrooms.

Griffin, who died in 2007 at 82, hosted the talk show bearing his name for more than two decades starting in the early '60s. He created game shows including "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" through this own production company.