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Yahoo Serious

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Yahoo Serious
Born
Greg Pead

(1953-07-27) 27 July 1953 (age 71)
Cardiff, New South Wales, Australia
Occupations
Years active1988–2000
SpouseLulu Serious (c. 1988 – 2007)
Websiteyahooserious.com

Yahoo Serious (born Greg Pead;[a][1] 27 July 1953) is an Australian actor. His films include the comedy films Young Einstein (1988), Reckless Kelly (1993), and Mr. Accident (2000). Serious writes, directs, produces, stars in, and has composed the scores for his movies.

Early life

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Serious, born Greg Gomez Pead, was born on 27 July 1953 in Cardiff, New South Wales. He attended Glendale East Public School and Cardiff High School, then worked as a tyre fitter to pay for his tuition at the National Art School in Sydney, but was expelled.[2]

Career

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After being expelled from art school, Serious co-wrote, co-produced, edited and directed at age 21 his first film, Coaltown, "with the assistance of the Australian Film Institute".[3] Released in 1977,[3] Coaltown explores the social and political history of coal mining.

In 1988, Serious co-wrote, produced, directed, and played the title role in Young Einstein as a young apple farmer in Tasmania who derives the formula E=mc² while trying to discover a means of creating beer bubbles, splitting the beer atom in the process. After leaving Tasmania for Sydney on the mainland to patent his discovery, he goes on to develop rock music and surfing, romances Marie Curie, and saves Paris from an atomic bomb.[4] The film's popularity propelled Serious to stardom which saw him appear on the cover of TIME magazine and the Australian edition of Mad magazine, and even get his own primetime slot on MTV.[5] The movie was a success in Australia but a critical and commercial flop upon receiving a wide release in the United States.[6][7][8]

In 1993, Serious released his next film, Reckless Kelly, a satire about a modern descendant of the notorious Australian bank robber Ned Kelly who also becomes a movie star in Hollywood. While Reckless Kelly was a hit in Australia, it failed outside of the country and ended Serious's bid for mainstream international popularity. In 2000, Serious released his third film, Mr. Accident, about the most accident-prone man in the world. Like Reckless Kelly, the film was not a commercial success outside Australia.[9][10]

Serious is a director of the Kokoda Track Foundation, a humanitarian organisation focused on Papua New Guinea.[11]

In 2019, in a rare Q&A session at Sydney's Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, Serious stated in response to a question about what he had been doing recently, “I have been writing and I hope to continue to make some more movies.” [12]

Honours and awards

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Serious received an honorary doctorate from the University of Newcastle in 1996.[13]

Serious was a guest celebrity for the opening of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.[14]

Personal life

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Shortly after the production of Young Einstein, Serious married Lulu Pinkus. Their relationship ended in 2007.[15]

In July 2020, Serious was evicted from his Sydney rental property and ordered to pay $15,000 in rent arrears to the landlords. Serious stated that he was unable to pay due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was unable to substantiate this claim.[16][17]

Lawsuit against Yahoo!

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In August 2000, Yahoo Serious sued the search engine Yahoo! for trademark infringement. The case was thrown out because Serious could not prove that he sells products or services under the name "Yahoo" and therefore could not prove that he suffered harm or confusion due to the search engine.[18]

Filmography

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As himself

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  • Cinema 3 – (1990) – TV series, 1 episode
  • Waltzing Matilda: The Song That Shaped a Nation (1995) – Documentary
  • In the Cannes (2007) – Short documentary film

Notes

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  1. ^ Name-change by deed poll in 1980

References

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  1. ^ Forsberg, Myra (30 July 1989). "FILM; The Name's Serious. Yahoo Serious". New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Yahoo Serious: (author/organisation)". AustLit. 12 October 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Coaltown". National Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016. 1977, English, Video edition: Coaltown [motion picture]: Newcastle Australia / written & edited by Greg Pead; filmed & produced by Greg Pead & David Roach; with the assistance of the Australian Film Institute.
  4. ^ James, Caryn (4 August 1989). "Review/Film; Silliness And Science That Equal One Einstein". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  5. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (14 May 2015). "Reckless Kelly Rewatched – Yahoo Serious in Surreal and Satirical Form". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  6. ^ Siklos, Richard (29 January 2006). "When Terry Met Jerry, Yahoo!". New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2016. ... Australian comic named Yahoo Serious who starred in the 1988 Warner Brothers flop Young Einstein ...
  7. ^ "August 4–6, 1989 – Weekend". BoxOfficeMojo.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  8. ^ Henderson, Odie (6 August 2014). "Summer of '89: Surely, You Can't Be Serious! Young Einstein". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  9. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (3 June 2019). "Forget the pyramids, the greatest mystery of our time is what happened to Yahoo Serious". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  10. ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 August 2019). "Australian Movie Stars". Filmink. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Board". The Kokoda Track Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  12. ^ "Forget the pyramids, the greatest mystery of our time is what happened to Yahoo Serious | Luke Buckmaster". The Guardian. 3 June 2019. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  13. ^ Dale, David; Molitoisz, Sacha (19 April 1996). "Stay in Touch". News And Features. Sydney Morning Herald. p. 24. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  14. ^ "Forgotten Aussie Stars: Where Are They Now". au.thehype.yahoo.com. 16 December 2013. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  15. ^ Reines, Ros (20 May 2007). "Serious Problems for Yahoo and Lulu". Features. Sunday Telegraph. p. 126. Archived from the original on 5 March 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  16. ^ "Yahoo Serious evicted from Sydney home for failing to pay rent". News.com.au. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Yahoo Serious evicted from Sydney home after falling $27,000 behind in rental payments". The Guardian. 23 July 2020. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  18. ^ "Yahoo Is Really Serious – Actor Sues Internet Company over Name". The Daily Telegraph. p. 10. Published 22 September 2001.
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