He was once thought to be Hollywood’s next big comedy star in the late ’80s, only to fade into obscurity.
And Yahoo Serious looked completely unrecognizable when he was photographed for the first time in more than a year in Sydney on Monday.
The former Australian actor, whose real name is Greg Gomez Pead, was spotted heading to the beach for a morning swim.
The 70-year-old, known for his cult films Young Einstein (1988) and Reckless Kelly (1993), showed off his impressive abs in a pair of blue shorts.
He was seen brushing his long silver locks with a comb after a refreshing bath.
Yahoo Serious looked completely unrecognizable when he was photographed for the first time in more than a year in Sydney on Monday.
Shielding his eyes with a pair of dark sunglasses, he carried a blue plastic tub with his towel and belongings when he left the beach.
The reclusive comedian was later seen taking his beloved Jack Russell Terrier for a walk.
The discreet sighting comes after he faced eviction from his Avalon Beach home in 2020 for not paying rent, the latest in a series of setbacks for the former filmmaker, who also went through a divorce and a failed lawsuit once. that his career stalled.
Serious appears in Young Einstein, the 1988 film that made him famous
It’s a far cry from the fame and admiration he earned in late 1988 after starring in the hit comedy Young Einstein, which he also directed, produced and wrote.
At the time of its release, the film was the second most successful Australian film in box office history, behind Crocodile Dundee, having grossed $33 million worldwide.
Its success also landed Serious, then 34, on the cover of Time and MAD magazines. As his popularity soared in the United States, he hosted The Yahoo Serious Show on MTV.
The 70-year-old, known for his cult films Young Einstein (1988) and Reckless Kelly (1993), showed off his impressive abs in shorts.
Serious followed Young Einstein with another zany comedy, Reckless Kelly, in 1993, which was a local box office hit but failed to make a dent in the United States.
His promising career collapsed after the release of his third film, Mr Accident, in 2000, to lukewarm reviews.
That same year, things took a tumultuous turn for Serious when it attempted to take over the Yahoo! website. to court for trademark infringement.
The reclusive comedian was seen brushing his long silver locks after a morning swim.
The judge dismissed the case because the actor could not prove that he sold products or services under the Yahoo name and therefore could not prove that his career had been harmed or confused by the popular search engine.
Serious had his last shot at stardom in 2007, when he appeared in the documentary short In The Cannes, but his career never took off again.
After completely disappearing from the spotlight and divorcing his wife of 20 years, Lulu Pinkus, in 2010, Serious has only been seen a handful of times.
In 2020, the reclusive comedian suffered another blow when he faced eviction from his Sydney home after owing more than $27,500 in rent payments.
At the time, it was reported that he was struggling to make ends meet and had been ordered to vacate his rented three-bedroom home in Avalon Beach after failing to pay rent for five months.
The New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered him to pay his owners $15,000 and vacate the property.
The young Einstein pointed out Serious as a rising star, but unfortunately his success did not last
The owners, Tanya and Andrew Barlow, requested that their residential lease be terminated after Serious fell more than $27,500 behind on rent.
Serious and his production company, Serious Productions Pty Ltd, began renting the property in March 2017 for $1,350 per week.
The court found that he had fallen behind on his payments in November 2019 and had not paid money since February 25, 2020.
Serious argued that his income had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, like most of those working in the arts and creative industries.
“With the pandemic transforming the film industry towards home entertainment, the project the first tenant was working on has been affected,” the court stated in its ruling, published Thursday.
However, bank statements presented during the proceedings did not show that he had any income before the coronavirus pandemic.
“The tenants say that in March their income was already affected, but the simple fact is that the Court has no evidence of pre-pandemic income for the tenants,” the court said.
Mr Accident was released in 2000 and was a box office bomb.
Under amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act at the time, enacted to protect people whose livelihoods had been affected by Covid, tenants were able to apply for rent renegotiation and are covered by a moratorium on evictions.
However, they were only eligible if they could show that their income had decreased by 25 percent or more.
Serious requested that he be allowed to stay at the property and start paying the rent arrears with the promise that he could catch up on the payments.
However, he was ordered to return the keys and pay an occupancy fee of $192 per day until then.
When asked if he had applied for rental assistance, Serious told the hearing that he had gone to Centrelink and had been advised to apply for the age pension because he was about to turn 67.
Serio appears with Odile Le Clezio in Young Einstein, which he wrote, directed and starred in.