Yahoo Serious
| Yahoo Serious | |
|---|---|
 Serious in Young Einstein promo | |
| Born |
Greg Gomez Pead 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 |
Yahoo Serious (born 27 July 1953), born Greg Gomez 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
Pead was born in Cardiff, City of Lake Macquarie in the Hunter Region, New South Wales, Australia. 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.
Career
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".[2] Released in 1977,[2] Coaltown explores the social and political history of coal mining.
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 primetime slot on MTV.[3] The movie was a success in Australia but a critical and commercial flop in the United States.[4][5][6]
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.
Honors and awards
He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Newcastle in 1996.[7]
Serious was a guest celebrity for the opening of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.[8]
Other interests and pursuits
Serious is a director of The Kokoda Track Foundation,[9] a humanitarian organization focused on Papua New Guinea.
Personal life
Shortly after the production of Young Einstein, Yahoo Serious married Lulu Pinkus. Their relationship ended in 2007.[10]
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.[11]
Filmography
- Young Einstein (1988) - Actor, director, writer and producer
- Reckless Kelly (1993) - Actor, director, writer and producer
- Mr. Accident (2000) - Actor, director, writer and producer
As himself
- Cinema 3 - (1990) - TV series, 1 episode
- Waltzing Matilda: The Song That Shaped a Nation (1995) - Documentary
- In the Cannes (2007) - Short documentary film
See also
- Yahoo (Gulliver's Travels) - the origin of the term
References
- ↑ Forsberg, Myra (30 July 1989). "FILM; The Name's Serious. Yahoo Serious". New York Times. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- 1 2 "Coaltown". National Library of Australia. Retrieved August 31, 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.
- ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (May 14, 2015). "Reckless Kelly rewatched – Yahoo Serious in surreal and satirical form". The Guardian. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- ↑ Siklos, Richard (January 29, 2006). "When Terry Met Jerry, Yahoo!". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
...Australian comic named Yahoo Serious who starred in the 1988 Warner Brothers flop Young Einstein...
- ↑ "August 4-6, 1989 - Weekend". BoxOfficeMojo.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ↑ Henderson, Odie (August 6, 2014). "Summer of '89: Surely, You Can't Be Serious! Young Einstein". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ↑ Dale, David; Molitoisz, Sacha (19 April 1996). "Stay in Touch". News And Features. Sydney Morning Herald. p. 24. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
- ↑ "Forgotten Aussie Stars: Where Are They Now". au.thehype.yahoo.com. December 16, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Our Board". kokodatrackfoundation.org. The Kokoda Track Foundation. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ↑ Reines, Ros (20 May 2007). "Serious problems for Yahoo and Lulu". Features. Sunday Telegraph. p. 126. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ↑ Morris, Rachel. "Yahoo is really serious - Actor sues internet company over name" The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 22 September 2001, Local Section, pg. 10