Fashion Designer Jen Kao Snags Jodie Foster’s Beverly Hills Estate

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Legendary actress Jodie Foster made short work of divesting her Beverly Hills home of seven years, sealing the deal just two months after listing the spacious property. As previously reported , records show the transaction closed for $14,900,000, considerably more than the $11,750,000 she paid back in 2012 and certainly one of the highest prices for this particular 90210 nabe in recent years.

The estate was purchased by Jen Kao , the Parsons-educated former fashion designer and only daughter of Garmin’s multibillionaire co-founder Min Kao. According to Forbes, Kao’s father has a net worth of $4 billion , making him the second-wealthiest man in the entire state of Kansas.

ken_kao_oahu

min_kao_15cpw

Jen-Kao

min_kao_house_beverly_hills

At one time, 37-year-old Kao — through her eponymous brand — was a popular women’s clothing retailer, presenting her ethereal and feminine designs in multiple NYFW shows to critical acclaim. But in 2013, she abruptly shuttered her six-year-old label, citing unspecified health issues.

Kao’s new 7,500-square-foot traditional sits well north of Sunset Boulevard, perched atop a prominent ridgeline just above the Coldwater Canyon area. Originally built in the 1950s, the structure was significantly expanded and renovated in 2010 by prominent British producer Colin Callender . Though the house sits rather hard up on the street, it is exceptionally private – almost totally invisible behind a towering wall of hedges. The property also abuts open land, further enhancing the sense of seclusion. There are five bedrooms, six bathrooms, bountiful gardens and a large swimming pool.

jen_kao_house_7

jen_kao_house_6

jen_kao_house_5

jen_kao_house_4

In addition to Kao’s new $14.9 million digs, her family maintains an enviable handful of posh vacation residences that include a $15.4 million estate formerly owned by Kirk Douglas and located on one of the best streets in the coveted  Flats neighborhood. Her parents also lay claim to a 4,000-square-foot Manhattan penthouse — recently listed for $55 million — in the uber-posh 15 Central Park West building.

Back in 2017, Kao’s elder brother — Ryan Gosling’s producing partner Ken Kao — plunked down $11.5 million for an oceanfront estate on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

jen_kao_house_3

jen_kao_house_2

jen_kao_house_1

The Beverly Hills property was listed by David Kramer of Hilton & Hyland . The buyer was repped by Zach Goldsmith of Hilton & Hyland .