The Tinseltown couples that wind up looking like those cutesy, corny Hallmark films seem to be really uncommon. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are a prime example; they just parted ways after over two years of marriage. What was the outcome? The 38,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion that the once-happy A-Listers shared for just over a year was eventually sold, and there have been rumors of a divorce.
Despite this, Affleck has continued to live a nomadic life. The actor and filmmaker, who was born in California, first lived next to his ex-wife Jennifer Garner and their teenage children in a $100,000-per-month rental. More recently, he has moved into a house in the horse-friendly Sullivan Canyon neighborhood on the edge of Brentwood and Pacific Palisades, which is next door to the residence of another Hollywood icon, Diane Keaton.
Documents reveal that Affleck spent $20.5 million for his new estate, about $16 million more than the property’s former owners, David Calvert-Jones, who was born in Australia and is the nephew of the billionaire media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, along with his wife Karina, back in early 2010. Prior to that, it was owned for nearly fifty years by Oscar-nominated producer and playwright Sy Gomberg, the spouse of Hollywood actress and activist Maxine Cooper.
The equestrian property was first created and designed in the early 1940s by renowned architect Cliff May. During the Calvert-Joneses’ tenure, the property underwent extensive renovations and expansions in partnership with architect Steve Giannetti and interior designer Kelly Harmon. These included a five-bedroom, five-bathroom house with approximately 6,200 square feet of split-level living space.
Nestled amid a cul-de-sac parcel spanning nearly two-thirds of an acre within the Riviera Ranch enclave that May developed, the walled and gated structure is known as Paradise Found and highlighted by a fireside living area that doubles as a screening room and a formal dining room accessible via pocketing wood doors. Also standing out is a gourmet kitchen outfitted with an eat-in island, top-tier stainless appliances, and a glass-lined breakfast nook, as well as a family room, a private office space, and a primary suite boasting a fireside sitting area and a luxe bath with dual vanities, a built-in soaking tub, and a separate shower.
Yet more amenities can be found outdoors, where the garden-laced grounds are spotlighted by a central courtyard hosting a pool and spa flanked by an open-air cabana, along with several spots that are ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining. There’s also a two-story detached guesthouse, horse stables, and an attached three-car garage resting beside a spacious cobblestone motor court.
In addition to his just-purchased Brentwood pad, Affleck also lays claim to a secluded riverfront country estate in Georgia that he picked up in 2003, back when he and Lopez coupled up the first time around. It was here that the erstwhile couple held a lavish wedding celebration in 2022. As for Lopez, who has been spotted looking at homes in L.A. for the past couple of months, she recently sold a duplex penthouse in New York for $25 million and still owns a Hamptons estate she paid $10 million for more than a decade ago.