Where in the world is…..? Celebrity #7: Robert Downey, Jr., who rents a mansion at the end of a cul-de-sac in Los Angeles' Brentwood area

Today’s installment of “Where in the world is….?” involves Robert Downey, Jr., the long-troubled but immensely talented (and utterly likable!) actor who has just transitioned to being a blockbuster leading man with his role in the recently released “Iron Man.” A longtime reader and faithful commenter recently asked us to look into where Downey has been living of late. Indeed, it’s true that until now, details on Downey’s housing situation (by details, we mean address, sale price, etc.) somehow have managed over the years to elude every single celebrity real estate gossip column or blog over the years — even the Los Angeles Times’ 23-year-plus “Hot Property” column. So where is Downey living? It’s clear that he has been living in Los Angeles’ Brentwood area for quite some time, and it’s also clear that Downey is not a landowner at present. First, here’s how we can quickly confirm that Downey resides in Brentwood. Numerous news articles report that Downey’s house is in Brentwood. For instance, Time magazine reported on April 28 that Downey’s house is “at the end of a leafy cul-de-sac in Brentwood.” And the New York Times wrote on April 20 that Downey’s home is “at the end of a cul-de-sac in Brentwood.” Further back, Esquire magazine reported in March 2007 that “Downey House sits at the end of a cul-de-sac in a staid, plush, peaceable west Los Angeles neighborhood called Brentwood.” So does Downey own the house in Brentwood? It appears not. W magazine reported in March 2007 that “the house is leased, and it shows.” More recently, GQ magazine wrote in its May 2008 issue that “Downey lives on a quiet cul-de-sac in a not-so-flashy modern house he leases with his second wife.” Elsewhere in the same article, GQ notes that Downey’s house has four bedrooms. And, the April 28 Time article above quotes Downey as saying, “I don’t want to be that schmuck who’s just, you know, looking down a hallway in a leased McMinimansion in Brentwood going, ‘Hey. I wonder what me and so-and-so are going to do tonight.”’ We have as-yet been unable to identify Downey’s exact address in Brentwood, and we’re certainly willing to hear any suggestions from loyal readers. However, as most readers know, we seldom write much about rentals anyhow (with the exception of super-high-profile rentals, like Tom Cruise’s longtime former rental of the mansion at 918 N. Alpine Drive in Beverly Hills). As far as Downey’s housing situation is concerned, the far bigger question that we and all other celebrity real estate gossips should be asking is: will Downey’s payday from “Iron Man” be such that he goes out and buys himself something more than the “McMinimansion” that he’s renting? Perhaps a full-on mansion in the flats of Beverly Hills? Or in The Summit neighborhood? Or in Malibu? Or in the Mulholland Estates subdivision? We’ll keep you posted. Obviously, Downey has lived elsewhere in the L.A. area since his acting career began, including often in Malibu. In July 1996, Downey wandered about a block from his home on Broad Beach Road (which we assume that he had rented) and into the Broad Beach Road house of magazine publisher Bill Curtis and his family (complete strangers to Downey), passing out in the bed of the Curtis’ 11-year-old son. Downey also has been reported in the past to have lived in a (presumably leased) condo unit in the building at 29169 Heathercliff Road in Malibu. More recently, Downey was crashing in Malibu — rent-free — in 2003 according to a hilarious article in the New York Times magazine on October 19, 2003. The piece noted that Downey was living in “a ratty old ranch house” in Malibu that was on some property owned by Jonathan Elias. “(Elias) said, ‘Oh, my God, look at him, he’s homeless again,”’ Downey told the Times, referring to Elias describing Downey’s living situation. ”’Put him up in Malibu in one of those houses we’re going to tear down. Go to Ikea. Get him a flat-screen TV. And he’ll be happy for about a week.”’ Interestingly, later on, comedian Howie Mandel purchased some of Elias’ Malibu land, at 6950 Dume Drive in Malibu, in June 2006 for exactly $3,000,000, according to public records. In the meantime, to see a music video that lies at the intersection of Robert Downey, Jr. and Los Angeles real estate, check out Elton John’s video for his 2001 song “I Want Love” — which stars Downey and which is filmed inside the famous Greystone mansion at 905 Loma Vista Drive in Beverly Hills, Calif. — here.

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