LOS ANGELES – Leonardo DiCaprio has come a long way in 20 years. Leapfrogging from Romper Room and Friends to Hollywood A-lister and, at the same time, acquiring a real estate portfolio that might make Ellen DeGeneres envious. His collection includes an L.A. home he bought in the 1990s from Madonna; a fabulous mid-century modern home in Palm Springs that was built for Dinah Shore, which he purchased in 2014; and a $23 million Malibu home he acquired in 2017. But all of his purchases don’t stay in his portfolio – some are given as gifts to family members. In a generous act, DiCaprio recently purchased the Los Feliz home of Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson for $7.1 million and gave it to his mother, Irmelin Indenbirken. A few years ago, he also bought a Los Feliz home for his dad, George DiCaprio, for $4.9 million.

Many big Hollywood celebrities struggle with where to invest their money in an upside-down world, and a fair number have opted for the security of real estate. While some stars have taken their real estate investments out of California due to the state’s high taxes, DiCaprio has the bulk of his properties in the Golden State, with the exception of a New York City apartment and an island in Belize. Leonardo still lives at his two-compound property on Sunset Strip, which is only a 30-minute drive to his parents in Los Feliz.

One of L.A’s prettiest homes, previously owned by Gwen Stefani and then Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the gated, Spanish Colonial-style residence measures almost 5,000 square feet, with loads of character and charming outdoor spaces. It features four bedrooms and six baths, and its formal living and dining rooms have soaring ceilings and romantic Juliette balconies overlooking each. Built in 1928 and completely updated, the careful execution of the work was retained and enhanced its period details. It has arched doorways, tiled roof and floors, stained-glass windows, multiple fireplaces, elegant baths, sweeping staircases, an intricately carved entry door, and inlaid ceilings. The eat-in kitchen has the bells and whistles that make it both pretty and functional, and the family room can alternatively be used as a media room with its drop-down screen. Almost all the rooms open to the attractively landscaped terraces, colorful gardens, courtyards, fountains and views of the Griffith Observatory. There is also a detached bathroom by the pool and spa and a detached Zen/meditation/yoga room.

Brett Lawyer of Hilton and Hyland represented DiCaprio while the listing was held by Compass’s Jennifer Akbari, Beverly Hills.