In court on Tuesday, Smith's widow, Nancy Cropper, said she had been bothered by Johnson's earlier sentence.

WSJ: Man convicted of murder as teen resentenced

Television viewers will know Smith from her portrayal of the hawkish Dr Nancy McNally, one of the president's chief advisers on foreign policy and military matters in The West Wing.

BBC: West Wing star Anna Deavere Smith wins top arts prize

At the end of 2008, Mr. Marks, chairman of Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management, and his wife Nancy completed a seven-year renovation of the property with Michael Smith, the designer who redid the White House Oval Office a few years ago, according to someone familiar with the designer.

WSJ: Private Properties