Aussie 80s film icon accused of blocking elderly man’s care by squatting in his home

Australian film star Yahoo Serious, best known for his 1988 cult classic Young Einstein, has been accused of squatting in the home of an elderly man on Sydney’s northern beaches.

The home’s owner, Charles “Phillip” Porter, initially allowed Serious to stay in a granny-flat-style accommodation on the property after the actor experienced homelessness and was reportedly living in his car.

However, it is now alleged that Serious, 71, has moved into the main residence without permission, preventing the home from being sold to fund Mr Porter’s ongoing care.

Mr Porter, who has been diagnosed with dementia, has been placed in a nursing home, with his financial affairs managed by his power of attorney and landlord, Margaret Charlton. She has taken the matter to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) in an effort to have Serious removed from the property.

“The Public Trustee has instructed me to sell the property in order to fund Mr Porter’s ongoing care,” Ms Charlton stated in her application to the tribunal. “Failure to do so will result in his removal from his current care facility.”

Ms Charlton claims that Serious has refused to vacate despite being issued a notice to leave by 8 February. She also alleges that he is not paying rent, contributing to utility bills, or maintaining the property, causing financial strain.

The matter is scheduled to be heard by NCAT’s Consumer and Commercial Division on 19 March.

This is not the first time Serious has faced housing issues. In 2020, he was evicted from a rental property in Avalon and ordered to pay $15,000 in overdue rent, which he claimed he was unable to afford due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Serious, who has reportedly been undergoing cancer treatment in recent months, was once a prominent figure in Australian cinema. Alongside Young Einstein, he starred in Reckless Kelly and Mr Accident, and even made an appearance at the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Despite his meteoric rise in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Serious has largely retreated from public life. His last notable appearance was in 2019 at a Young Einstein screening, where he expressed a desire to return to filmmaking.

Now, however, the former star finds himself in a legal battle that could see him once again searching for a place to stay.