Most people get frustrated when ads start interrupting their favorite movies or TV shows. The reality is that commercials can be a real drag, but every now and then one comes along that becomes truly legendary. Take Coca-Cola’s New Year commercials, for example – people genuinely look forward to those every year because they capture the festive spirit perfectly.
Another commercial that achieved remarkable fame and cult-like status is ‘The Caveman’ by Geico, which first aired back in 2004. It features a prehistoric man and was designed to sell car insurance. The company reportedly poured around $600 million into advertising and commercials in 2006, but given how wildly popular ‘The Caveman’ became, that investment clearly paid off. The creative force behind it was The Martin Agency, which managed Geico’s advertising for many years. According to The New York Times, the agency’s approach has always been to ‘wrap an easy-way-to-save-money pitch in humor, on the theory that laughter is almost as universal as a lack of interest in car insurance.’
Creative director Steve Bassett admitted they knew the commercial would do well, but nobody anticipated just how far and wide it would spread.
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The man underneath the caveman character is actor and producer John Lehr. His rough appearance, greasy hair, furrowed brow, and Neanderthal-like features were all the result of heavy prosthetic makeup. In real life, Lehr is a strikingly good-looking man and a proud father of two. TV Commercials
His journey in the entertainment world began well before this commercial came along. It all kicked off when Lehr, who was working as a teacher at Kilmer Elementary School in Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois, started doing improv performances at night. During one of those shows, a FOX scout spotted him and offered him a holding deal with NBC worth $15,000.
It felt like a dream becoming reality, as it cracked open the doors of Hollywood for Lehr. Among his credits, he appeared in one episode of the beloved sitcom Friends in 1996, and starred in 22 episodes of Jesse alongside Christina Applegate, with whom he later reunited for the romantic comedy The Sweetest Thing.
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In 2004, Lehr was invited to audition for ‘The Caveman,’ and he went in with very few expectations. ‘I thought, Huh, okay. I didn’t think much about it. Went in, did it. They let me improvise,’ Lehr recalled in a conversation with Chicago Now. ‘I think that’s what got me the job. It was really fascinating and fun and paid my bills.’ Paleontology
Once he landed the role of The Caveman, Lehr’s character practically became a celebrity overnight. Suddenly, everyone was talking about the commercial.
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‘It’s the perfect job for somebody like me, a character actor, because I make a lot of money on these commercials and nobody knows it’s me,’ he shared with Interviewing Hollywood. Auto Insurance
‘It kind of fit with my sense of humor, in that it’s kind of, you play it for real but it’s totally absurd, which is basically my cup of tea. And it worked out.’
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‘I’m stunned…I mean, it’s huge! My wife just recently googled GEICO caveman blogs, and it’s unbelievable,’ he added.
‘There’s a whole crowd of people out there who are completely obsessed with these commercials.’
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The commercial launched Lehr’s career into an entirely different stratosphere. He even made it to the Oscars, though not as himself. He showed up fully transformed as The Caveman. Acting & Theater
‘They sent me to the Oscars in full makeup and cast a gorgeous model to be my date on the Red Carpet,’ he recalled in a conversation with Forbes.
‘The funny thing was that all the big stars wanted photos with me. Gary Busey, John Voight, all of them. And then this stunning actress walks up and starts flirting with me. I break character and say, You realize I’m not actually a caveman. I’m an actor with hair glued on, and I’m married. She goes, I don’t care. Let’s have sex.’
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Today, Lehr runs his own production company called Howler Monkey Productions, and in addition to acting, he has also built a solid career as a producer. Movie Reference
Lehr is happily married to his wife Jennifer Lehr, and together they have a son and a daughter.
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