By Katherine Clarke
THE DEAL: Leon Black, the former Apollo Global Management chief executive, has sold a home in Beverly Hills, Calif., for about $47 million. The property was formerly owned by actor Tom Cruise.
THE BUYER: The identity of the buyer couldn't immediately be determined. The house wasn't publicly listed at the time of the sale, but had been quietly shopped off market, local real-estate agents said.
THE SELLER: A limited liability company tied to Black and his wife, Debra Black, bought the home from Cruise for $38 million in 2016, property records show. The "Mission: Impossible" star had purchased the home in 2007 from developer and real-estate agent Kurt Rappaport.
The Blacks sold the house because it was rarely used, according to a spokesperson. "They had two adult children who were living and working in L.A. for a period of time, but both have returned to New York and so the house was no longer of need," the spokesperson said.
The deal comes amid increased scrutiny of Black's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. A House committee investigating the Epstein files recently asked Black to testify on his ties to the deceased sex offender. Black has agreed to testify before staff members of the committee regarding his relationship with Epstein, his spokesman said.
Black stepped down from the CEO role at Apollo in 2021. A review by an outside law firm hired by Apollo found he had paid Epstein $158 million for his services. The review by Dechert found no evidence that Black was involved in Epstein's criminal activities.
Black has previously said that he paid Epstein for tax and estate planning, had no awareness of his criminal activities and regrets his association with him.
THE SPECS: Because the house sold off-market, little information about it is available publicly. According to the real-estate analytics website PropertyShark, the house dates to the 1930s and spans about 10,000 square feet with seven bedrooms on about 1.2 acres.
THE MARKET: The Los Angeles area market has been slow over the past year, largely due to the L.A. wildfires and an exodus of wealthy individuals to lower tax states, real-estate agents said. The Black deal will be one of the largest to close in recent months.
Linda May of Carolwood Estates and Fred Bernstein of Westside Estate Agency represented Black in the Beverly Hills transaction, while the buyer was represented by Rappaport.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 16, 2026 18:35 ET (22:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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