Dan Fogelman Pays $17.5 Million for Toluca Lake Mansion
The San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Toluca Lake is exclusive. Really, really exclusive. This isn’t the kind of place you can rock up to with a few hundred thousand in your back pocket and expect to come away with a house. But even in these super-expensive parts, the news of a property selling for $17.5 million gets attention. Big attention. Even more so when it turns out the spendthrift new owners are none other than big-shot screenwriter-producer Dan Fogelman and his wife, actress Caitlin Thompson. If you thought the cast of the NBC drama “This Is Us” must be doing ok for themselves by this point, it’s clearly nothing in comparison to how well the show’s creator is doing. Find out more as we take a sneak peek inside Dan Fogelman’s very swanky new Toluca Lake mansion.
The Neighborhood
We’ve already mentioned that Toluca Lake is expensive. But it’s expensive in a different way to many of LA’s other exclusive neighborhoods. This isn’t the kind of place that’s become famous as a result of being flash and ostentatious. And it doesn’t attract the kind of residents that have either. It may be luxurious, but it’s luxurious in an old-school, understated way. It tends to attract the kind of people that are established and comfortable enough in their positions not to feel the need to flash their cash at all and sundry. It’s respectable rather than hip, comfortable rather than happening. Or at least, it was. Then Miley Cyrus moved in and things started to change. These days, the neighborhood is home to a slew of stars, including Hilary Duff, Viola Davis, Steve Carell, and Melissa McCarthy. And now Dan Fogelman. Well, we say now. Fogelman and his family have actually called Toluca Lake home for a few years now. He bought his current home in the neighborhood – a 5,400-square-foot, “starter” mansion – back in 2016 for $4 million. Since then, Fogelman’s star has rocketed thanks to the runaway success of “This Is Us.” He’s now clearly feeling in the mood to put his NBC paychecks to good use. Considering that two became three last year when his wife gave birth to the couple’s first child, it could also be that he’s looking to upgrade to somewhere big enough to accommodate his growing family. Either way, he’s now set to make the move into the most expensive house ever sold in Toluca Lake.
Small but Mighty
Considering Fogelman’s new home has just set the record for being the most expensive house ever sold in Toluca Lake, it’s actually not that big, at least in comparison to some of the neighborhood’s other properties. As News Break writes, the house occupies a lot of ‘just’ 1.4 acres – a huge expanse to most of us, but in comparison to some of the other properties around, relatively insignificant. Bob Hope’s neighboring 5.2-acre compound, for example, sold back in 2018 for the comparatively minor sum of $15 million. So, if it’s not the size that’s driven the price so high, what exactly is it about Fogelman’s new home that warrants such an almighty selling price? Quite a lot actually…
The Exterior
Stars do like their privacy. Or at least, they do when they’re not trying to sell us a book, an album, a film, or anything else designed to keep them in champagne and caviar for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, if there’s one thing Fogelman’s new mansion has in abundance, it’s privacy. In fact, its secluded nature might explain the abundant interest it’s attracted from other potential buyers over the years. As Dirt writes, since hitting the market a couple of years ago, various moneyed celebs have toured the property. Last year, it looked like singer Ariana Grande was on the verge of moving in after she made a reported $17 million offer on the property. For reasons unknown and thus far unexplained, the deal fell through and she moved into the Hollywood Hills instead, leaving the coast clear for Fogelman to jump in with an offer of his own. Surrounding the house is a giant, L-shaped lawn that’s bordered on all sides by a thick ring of privacy-maintaining mature trees. Dotted around the grounds are a sports court, a swimming pool, a large patio for alfresco entertaining, a three-car garage, and a motor court with space for over a dozen cars.
The Interior
Fogelman’s new house was built in 1936. In 2000, it underwent a refresh that was less a makeover and more a makeunder. When former Universal chairman Adam Fogelson moved into the property in 2013, he remodeled it completely, eliminating the frump and replacing it with clean lines, smooth curves, and very contemporary decor. Judging by the $12 million markup he made when he sold it onto Fogelman, the refresh clearly did the trick. Boasting around 8,000 square feet of living space, the home includes 5 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. Or at least, we think it does. As the property was never actually listed on the open market (Fogelson choose to advertise it privately instead), we can’t be exactly sure. Neither can we be sure about layout, color schemes, furniture, or anything else. All we can say for sure is that for $17.5 million, it had better be good.
The Owner
Dan Fogelman is a television producer and screenwriter who first came to international attention when he wrote the 2006 movie “Cars.” He subsequently went on to win acclaim with the likes of “Fred Claus” (2007), “Bolt” (2008), “Tangled” (2010), “Cars 2” (2011), “Crazy, Stupid, Love” (2011) and “Danny Collins” (2016). In addition to his movie credits, he’s also enjoyed phenomenal success on the small screen, with “Grandfathered,” “Like Family,” “The Neighbors,” and “Galavant” ranking among his many achievements. In 2016, he created “This Is Us.” The show’s phenomenal success has taken Fogelman’s career to new heights of glory. In 2019, he signed a lucrative deal with Disney’s 20th Television unit believed to be worth over $200 million. According to Celebrity Net Worth (www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/producers/dan-fogelman-net-worth/), he’s currently believed to be worth in the region of $75 million. Fogelman has been married to actress Caitlin Thompson, who plays Madison on “This Is Us,” since 2015. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, in 2020.
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