EXCLUSIVE: Billion-dollar media queen Oprah Winfrey goes house hunting in Hollywood - as Oscar buzz heats up for her role in Lee Daniels' The Butler

Billionaire Oprah Winfrey is house hunting in Hollywood – as Oscar buzz builds for her turn in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, MailOnline can reveal.

The talkshow star and entrepreneur, 59, already has an extensive multi-million dollar property portfolio - including a $52million estate in Montecito, California.

But on September 21, Oprah was seen looking at exclusive properties around Los Angeles as  sources say she plans to become more involved in the film business.

It follows her highly-lauded performance as Gloria Gaines, the conflicted, proud wife of White House butler Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), in the Weinstein Company’s movie.

Oscar buzz: Oprah Winfrey has been spotted looking at multi-million properties in LA as she may win a nomination for her role in Lee Daniels' The Butler. She's seen here alongside co-star Terrence Howard

Lavish: Media queen Oprah was seen looking at a private residence at the Montage hotel in Beverly Hills last month

Glamorous: The opulent lounge in one of the 20 multi-million dollar residences at the Montage hotel in Beverly Hills

Luxurious: A bedroom at the Montage in Beverly Hills - complete with reclining leather arm-chair

Red leather: One of the dining rooms comes with red-leather panelling on the walls

Sprawling: Oprah Winfrey's $52million estate in Montecito, California

Oprah looked at a private residence in the Montage in Beverly Hills, where a sprawling apartment can cost up to $16.8million.Each of the 20 residences benefit from concierge services and amenities from the five-star hotel including the spa and offer private balconies with dramatic views of the surrounding hills and cityscape.

They also include a wine cellar, a media room, a gourmet kitchen, a study and a breakfast room - alongside a private elevator.

But while Oprah 'loved' all the private services she ultimately decided against the property because it wasn't separate enough from the hotel and she was worried about privacy.

Hollywood-bound: Oprah Winfrey at the LA premiere of Lee Daniels' The Butler on August 12

The A-list star then looked at a home in the gated Beverly Park, home to Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Rod Stewart.

She then headed to Trousdale Estates, where Simon Cowell owns a $15.5million property. However, although she loved the mid-century home she looked at, the source wondered whether she would chose that house because the estate is not gated.
Oprah already owns a 42-acre estate in Montecito, California, two hours away from LA. She bought the property, which she nicknamed 'The Promised Land' for a reported $52million in 2001.
She gave it a makeover earlier this year, saying: 'The gilded mirrors, marble urns, the lavish carpets and sherbet palette - it was all very grand, but it wasn't very true to myself.'
After enlisting designer Rose Tarlow to turn her house into a home, she said: 'And there you have it: the thing that had been missing from all of the beautiful places I'd ever lived in was me!'
However, as much as she loves her California home, she wants something closer to Los Angeles as she prepares to become more involved in the movie industry.

Home: Oprah Winfrey says she feels at home on her 60-acre estate on Kula, Hawaii

Long-term love: Oprah Winfrey and her boyfriend Steadman Graham at the New York premiere of Lee Daniels' The Butler in August

Co-stars: Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker play husband and wife in Lee Daniels' The Butler

Oprah was nominated for a Best Supporting actress Oscar for her role in The Colour Purple in 1985 and went on to star in - and produce - Beloved in 1998. The source added: 'Oprah's plan is to become more and more involved in the film business.
'The house in Santa Barbara is a two hour drive from LA and she wants to be closer to where she will be in business meetings and also to socialize more with the movers and shakers in Hollywood.'
Oprah enjoyed a star-studded weekend in LA over the Emmys alongside her BFF Gayle King and was pictured hanging out with Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, P Diddy and Mick Jagger at music mogul's Jimmy Iovine's pre-Emmy bash - and birthday celebration for his girlfriend, British model Liberty Ross - at his home.
She will also undoubtedly be part of the upcoming awards season.

Friends in high places: Oprah Winfrey with P Diddy, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian at music mogul Jimmy Iovine's pre-Emmy party last month

Hanging with the fellas: Oprah Winfrey and P Diddy and Kanye West

Caribbean-style: Oprah Winfrey's home on Antigua

Chi Town: Oprah's home in Water Tower Place in Chicago, where she filmed her talkshow for decades

If Oprah splashes out on a new property it will just be the latest addition to an already extensive portfolio.
She owns an estate of 60 acres in Maui, Hawaii, that includes an idyllic farmhouse which Oprah considers like 'coming home, a full circle moment' because she grew up with a grandmother on a farm in Mississippi.
When she's in Chicago, Oprah resides in a 15,000-square-foot duplex at Water Tower Place. She owns several other properties in Chicago and last year it was reported she had made a big loss after selling her 4,600-square-foot apartment in the ritzy Streeterville area of Chicago for $2.75million - nearly $3 million less than the $5.6 million she bought it for in 2006 - although she never actually moved into the home, chosing to live in a massive home a few blocks away.
The media queen also owns a vacation home on the shores of Antigua.

Posh: Oprah Winfrey also owns a home in the swanky ski resort of Telluride in Colorado

But Oprah can certainly afford it as Forbes estimate she has a fortune of $2.9billion - and in June she regained the top spot on Forbes magazine's annual most powerful celebrities list.

Oprah made an estimated $77 million between June 2012 and June 2013, down from last year's $165 million. However, despite not being the highest earner on Forbes magazine's list, "her money, mixed with strong fame scores in metrics like press mentions and social networking power, pushed her to the top," said Forbes writer Dorothy Pomerantz.
"She still wields an enormous amount of power, which is really what we look for in our fame matrix. She is taking this cable network and turning it around just through the sheer force of her will, her connections and her ability," Pomerantz continued.