Former film star Yahoo Serious has revealed ‘he was close to death recently’ amid claims he is squatting in a beachside pad in one of Australia’s wealthiest suburbs.
The reclusive actor appeared in person at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in Sydney to respond to allegations he is refusing to leave a granny flat behind the Palm Beach home of Charles Phillip Porter, who is currently in a nursing home.
The tribunal was told the owner had allowed Mr Serious, real name Greg Gomez Pead, to move in to the granny flat as he was living rough in his ageing BMW sedan, but he shifted into the main house once Mr Porter was put into care.
However the home now needs to be sold to pay for Mr Porter’s nursing home – and the tribunal was told Mr Serious was refusing to leave.
‘I’m greatly improving, I was very close to death very recently… I just, I’m coming good but I’m having trouble with just, recall of day to day things,’ Mr Serious said while responding to the allegations, according to The Daily Telegraph.
‘It will be a very complex thing, there’s been advice by – he goes by Phillip – Phillip’s attorney has advised that I should stay in the property and be the caretaker.’
Mr Porter’s power of attorney, landlord Margaret Charlton, launched the legal action in a desperate effort to evict the unwanted occupier and allow a sale to go ahead.
The three-bedroom bungalow is set in more than a hectare of lush gardens in one of Australia’s most sought-after real estate areas, but went on the market for just $1.9million.
In an application filed to NCAT, Ms Charlton said Mr Porter’s ongoing care is at risk if the property is unable to be sold.
‘Due to his diagnosis of dementia, Mr Porter has been placed in a nursing home, and I hold power of attorney for his affairs,’ she wrote.
‘The Public Trustee has instructed me to sell the property in order to fund Mr Porter’s ongoing care.
‘Failure to do so will result in his removal from his current care facility.’
After a few unsuccessful attempts to restart his career, in 2020 Mr Serious was evicted from his Avalon rental property for failing to pay his rent.
Earlier, he went through a divorce in 2007. And as his career stalled at the turn of the millennium, he launch an unsuccessful lawsuit against the search engine Yahoo!
He first earned plaudits in late 1988 for his starring role in Young Einstein, which he also directed, produced and wrote.
At the time of its release, the movie was the second most successful Aussie film in box office history, behind Crocodile Dundee, grossing $33million worldwide.
Its success landed Serious, then 34, on the cover of Time and MAD magazines.
As his popularity soared in the U.S., he hosted The Yahoo Serious Show on MTV. Hollywood started to take notice and he was able to follow up Young Einstein with another zany comedy, Reckless Kelly, in 1993. It was a local box office success but failed to make a dent in the States.
His promising career came crashing down around him following the release of his third film, Mr Accident, in 2000 to lukewarm reviews.
That same year, things took a tumultuous turn for Serious when he tried to take the website Yahoo! to court for trademark infringement.
The judge dismissed the case because the actor couldn’t prove he sold products or services under the name Yahoo – and therefore couldn’t demonstrate that his career had suffered harm or confusion due to the then-popular search engine.
Serious had his final crack at stardom in 2007, when he appeared in the short documentary film In the Cannes, but his career never took off again.
After disappearing from the spotlight completely and divorcing his wife of 20 years, Lulu Pinkus, in 2010, Serious has only been spotted a handful of times.
At the time of his eviction in 2020, it was reported Serious was struggling to make ends meet after failing to pay his rent for five months.
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered him to pay his landlords Tanya and Andrew Barlow $15,000 – less than what he owed – and vacate the property.
Serious and his production company, Serious Productions Pty Ltd, had begun renting the property in March 2017 for $1,350 per week.
The tribunal found he had fallen behind on his payments in November 2019 and had not paid any money since February 25, 2020.
Serious argued his income had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, like most who worked in the artistic and creative industries.
However, bank statements tendered during the proceedings failed to provide proof he had any income prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
When asked whether he had applied for rental assistance, Serious told the hearing he had gone to Centrelink and been advised to apply for the age pension as he was about to turn 67.
