Yahoo Serious

Yahoo Serious

Serious in Young Enstein promo
Born Greg Gomez Pead
(1953-07-27) 27 July 1953
Cardiff, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation Actor, director, composer
Years active 1988–present
Spouse(s) Lulu Serious (c. 1988–2007)
Website www.yahooserious.com

Yahoo Serious (born 27 July 1953), born Greg Pead[1] (name-change by deed poll in 1980), is an Australian film actor, director, and score composer. He is best known for his 1988 comedy Young Einstein. He also created Reckless Kelly in 1993 and Mr. Accident in 2000. Serious writes, directs, produces, stars in, and has composed the scores for his movies.

Early life and career

Yahoo Serious was born in Cardiff, City of Lake Macquarie in the Hunter Region, New South Wales, Australia. He went to 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. After being expelled, Serious co-wrote, co-produced, and directed his first film at age 21, a documentary called Coaltown which explored the social and political history of coal mining. The following year, his television series Lifestyle won the Australian Penguin Award for Best Educational Documentary.

In 1988, Serious co-wrote, produced, and directed Young Einstein, an intentionally inaccurate movie portraying Albert Einstein as a young farmer in Tasmania who derives the formula E=mc² while trying to discover a means of creating beer bubbles, splitting the lager atom in the process. After leaving the apple isle 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. The film's popularity propelled Serious to stardom which saw him appear on the cover of Time and Mad magazines, and even get his own prime time slot on MTV.[2] The movie was a success in Australia but a critical and commercial flop in the United States.[3][4][5]

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, Yahoo 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.

Yahoo Serious received an honorary doctorate from the University of Newcastle in 1996.[6]

Serious was a guest celebrity for the opening of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.[7] He is a director of The Kokoda Track Foundation.[8]

Personal life

Shortly after the production of Young Einstein, Yahoo Serious married Lulu Pinkus. Their relationship ended in 2007.[9]

Lawsuit against Yahoo!

In August 2000, Yahoo Serious tried to sue 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.[10]

Filmography

As himself

See also

References

  1. Forsberg, Myra (30 July 1989). "FILM; The Name's Serious. Yahoo Serious". New York Times. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  2. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/15/reckless-kelly-rewatched-yahoo-serious-in-surreal-and-satirical-form
  3. "Australian comic named Yahoo Serious who starred in the 1988 Warner Brothers flop Young Einstein." When Terry Met Jerry, Yahoo!, The New York Times, January 29, 2006, accessed February 22, 2016.
  4. August 4-6, 1989 - Weekend, accessed February 22, 2016.
  5. , [Slant Magazine]], August 6, 2014, accessed February 22, 2016.
  6. Dale, David; Molitoisz, Sacha (19 April 1996). "Stay in Touch". News And Features. Sydney Morning Herald. p. 24. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  7. "Forgotten Aussie Stars: Where Are They Now". au.thehype.yahoo.com. December 16, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  8. "Board of Directors". The Kokoda Track Foundation. The Kokoda Track Foundation. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  9. Reines, Ros (20 May 2007). "Serious problems for Yahoo and Lulu". Features. Sunday Telegraph. p. 126. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  10. Morris, Rachel. "Yahoo is really serious - Actor sues internet company over name" The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 22 September 2001, Local Section, pg. 10

External links

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