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LOS ANGELES - It's a far cry from Springfield, but comedic actor and The Simpsons voice artist Hank Azaria recently purchased a home in Bel-Air for $10 million.

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Twentieth Century Fox

Hank Azaria, shown with Owen Wilson in a scene from ‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,’ bought a two-storey home in Bel-Air.

The gated traditional has seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in about 9,000 square feet of living space, according to the Multiple Listing Service. It sits on nearly three-quarters of an acre.

Built in 1932, the two-storey view home includes four fireplaces, a dance studio, an art studio, a den and a library. The living room opens out onto a backyard patio, a spacious lawn, a gazebo with an additional outdoor fireplace and a swimming pool. Public records show the house sold in 2004 for $6.25 million.

Azaria, 45, plays the villainous pharaoh Kahmunrah in the 20th Century Fox comedy-adventure sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. He will appear as Abraham in the biblical satire Year One, a June 19 release starring Jack Black. On television, he portrayed midlife-crisis-facing psychiatrist Craig Huffstodt on Showtime's Huff (2004-06). The Emmy-winning Azaria has voiced a number of characters on The Simpsons since the show started in 1989, including Moe the bartender, Chief Wiggum, Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu and Comic Book Guy.

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Actor James Van Der Beek, of Dawson's Creek fame, and his actress wife, Heather McComb, have sold their Studio City home in the L.A. area, which had been listed at $2,445,000.

Built in 1999, the nearly 3,000-square-foot gated home has three bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms and 180-degree canyon, mountain and city views. French doors open to a patio with a mist cooling system, swimming pool and spa. The upstairs master suite has a fireplace, beamed cathedral ceiling and walk-in closet.

The couple had put the home on the market in mid-March and plan to buy on L.A.'s west side.

Van Der Beek, 32, had the title role of Dawson Leery in Dawson's Creek (1998-2003).

McComb, 32, has had recurring roles in the TV series Prison Break (2008-09) and Profiler (1997-98).

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Cover girl turned custom home builder Cathleen Gallagher has listed her Pacific Palisades residence west of L.A. for $4.25 million.

The 5,978-square-foot house, with five bedrooms and five bathrooms, was the first one she built herself - planning and seeing the project through to completion. To create a home that captured the spirit of Provence, Gallagher used French eBay to buy authentic pieces and materials, including two iron-and-glass street lamps, four 17th century fireplaces, reclaimed beams, antique doors, pavers and limestone.

The house, built in 2003, has a floating staircase, a turret, a wine cellar, a home theater and a guest suite with its own entrance. Outdoors, there's a kitchen with a pizza oven and a playhouse built to look like the main house.

One of Gallagher's favourite things about the property is the olive trees, which were moved from Northern California; they had been slated to be sold for kindling. "They're 45 years old now," Gallagher said, "and I feel they give the house a lot of character."

Hot Property by Lauren Beale of the Los Angeles Times features the hottest celebrity real estate deals.