Aussie actor Yahoo Serious, 71, accused of ‘squatting’ in home on Sydney’s northern Beaches

Iconic Aussie actor Yahoo Serious has been accused of squatting in a home in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with the homeowner’s power of attorney now reportedly trying to evict him.

The star, who rose to fame in 1988’s Young Einstein and 1993’s Reckless Kelly, had been staying in granny flat-style accommodation on the property owned by Charles Porter.

Serious, 71, born Greg Pead, had previously been dealing with homelessness and living out of his car.

Now, it is alleged he has moved into the main home, which is preventing it from being sold, according to a NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal claim lodged by Porter’s power of attorney, Margaret Charlton.

“Due to his diagnosis of dementia, Mr Porter has been placed in a nursing home and I hold power of attorney for his affairs,” Charlton wrote according to The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.

“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 ... as he is an elderly patient with dementia.”

Charlton alleged Serious had been asked to leave the property by February 8, adding he does not pay any bills related to the home.

“He is not fulfilling any financial obligations, including rent or utility bills, which has placed considerable strain on the finances,” Charlton wrote in the claim.

“Additionally, he is preventing us from accessing the property to prepare it for sale.”

Serious has yet to publicly respond to the claim.

Serious has reportedly been undergoing cancer treatment in recent months.

In 2020, he was evicted from his Avalon rental property with an arrears of $15,000.

On Tuesday, The Morning Show’s entertainment editor Peter Ford spoke about the situation.

“I think it’s a two-pronged story ... so, the first prong of this story is that (Serious) is now living in a house in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and refusing to leave,” Ford said.

“Now, it was owned by a man called Mr Porter, who had let Yahoo live in a granny flat at the back of the house.

“Now, as time has gone on, Mr Porter is now in a nursing home with, it seems, pretty serious dementia and Yahoo has moved into the main house and won’t go.

“The trustees want to sell the house and they can’t get rid of him, to put it bluntly. So, they’re now applying to a tribunal to have him removed.

“Now, I wonder if it’s possible, just proposing this scenario, if Mr Porter said things to Yahoo like ‘Yes, you can live in the granny flat’ and there seems to be no dispute about that.

“But did he also say ‘I’m going to hospital for only for a short time, you can move into the main house and look after it for me until I get back’? Maybe it’s possible. We haven’t heard from Yahoo. So that, I think is the first prong of the story.

“The second prong of the story is he was homeless and living in his car before Mr Porter said, ‘You can come and live in my granny flat’.

“So, isn’t that a sign of the times? People who you might think are really rich and famous, they might be famous but they may not necessarily be rich.

“And I think that’s the case here with Yahoo. So, hopefully it can be sorted out to everybody’s satisfaction.”

Serious became a cult film hero after starring in Young Einstein, which catapulted him to global fame.

The actor even appeared on the cover of Time magazine and MAD magazine.

However, he failed to recreate the buzz of his first movie.

His final film project was 2000’s Mr Accident, a quirky comedy about an egg factory worker who must risk his job for the good of others. The film failed to make an impression with audiences.