Most people get frustrated when ads interrupt their favorite movies or TV shows. Sure, most commercials are forgettable, but every now and then one becomes a true classic. Take Coca-Cola’s annual New Year’s ads, for example, which people actually look forward to every year because they capture the magic of the holiday season.
Another commercial that achieved legendary status is Geico’s ‘The Caveman,’ which first aired in 2004. It features a prehistoric man as the face of car insurance. The company reportedly poured around $600 million into advertising in 2006 alone, but ‘The Caveman’ was so wildly popular that every penny seemed worth it. The creative minds at The Martin Agency were responsible for the campaign, having handled Geico’s advertising for many years. According to The New York Times, the agency’s approach has always been to ‘wrap easy-way-to-save-money pitch in humor on the theory that laughter is almost as universal as lack of interest in car insurance.’
Creative director Steve Bassett admitted they knew they had something special on their hands, but the sheer scale of its success caught even him off guard.
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The actor bringing the caveman to life is none other than John Lehr, an actor and producer. His matted hair, grungy appearance, 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 devoted father of two. TV Commercials
His journey in the entertainment world started long before this campaign. Lehr was working as a teacher at Kilmer Elementary School in Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois, when he began doing improv performances at night. During one of those shows, a FOX scout spotted him and handed him a holding deal with NBC worth $15,000.
It was the break he had been waiting for, and it swung Hollywood’s doors wide open. He landed a guest role on the beloved sitcom Friends in 1996 and went on to appear in 22 episodes of Jesse alongside Christina Applegate. The two later reunited on the big screen for the romantic comedy The Sweetest Thing.
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In 2004, Lehr was called in to audition for ‘The Caveman,’ and he went in with zero expectations. ‘I thought, Huh, okay. I didn’t think much about it. Went in, did it. They let me improvise,’ Lehr recalled in an interview 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, Lehr’s caveman character took on a life of its own. Seemingly overnight, everyone was talking about those commercials.
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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 told 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 bunch of people out there who are fascinated with these commercials.’
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The campaign completely transformed Lehr’s career trajectory. He even attended the Oscars because of the role, though not as himself. He showed up in full caveman costume. Acting & Theater
‘They sent me to the Oscars in full makeup and cast a babe model to be my date on the Red Carpet,’ he shared in a Forbes interview.
‘The funny thing was that all the stars wanted to take pictures with me. Gary Busey, John Voight, all of them. And this gorgeous actress comes up and starts hitting on me. I drop character and say, You realize I’m not really 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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These days, Lehr runs his own production company called Howler Monkey Productions, and in addition to acting, he has built a solid career as a producer. Movie Reference
Lehr is happily married to his wife Jennifer Lehr, and together they share a son and a daughter.
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