After 37 years, over 8,800 episodes, and more tumultuous romances, acrimonious break-ups, and tearful reunions than you can shake a stick at, the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours came to an end earlier this year. The soap premiered on Australian TV in 1985 and featured the goings-on of the families living on Ramsay Street, an ordinary road in a fictional borough of Melbourne. Ratings were initially unimpressive, but the series soon became wildly popular and proved an important export success, rapidly gaining a devoted following in the United Kingdom on its premiere in 1986.
Broadcast on BBC1 in the UK, Neighbours famously appealed to schoolchildren and parents alike, and viewing figures surged. Audiences of over 20 million (a third of the UK’s population) were not uncommon. At its peak, it was broadcast in over 60 countries, including Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, and the United States (where Hulu briefly picked up the show). Neighbours was a firm favorite of soap opera aficionados the world over as well as a springboard for many A-list Hollywood superstars who were given the opportunity by the show to get their foot in the door of the world of acting before going Hollywood and making the jump into movies and other endeavors. Below are seven Hollywood stars who started off on the iconic Australian soap opera.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Margot Robbie
Warner Bros.
Margot Robbie is now one of the biggest and most acclaimed actors in Hollywood. She has worked with some of the industry’s most respected directors, including Martin Scorsese, for whom she appeared in The Wolf of Wall Street, and Quentin Tarantino, when she starred as Sharon Tate in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. She’s proven to be a huge box office draw, appearing as Harley Quinn in both of DC’s Suicide Squad movies and the Birds of Prey spin off. More than just a blockbuster beauty, Robbie’s impressive range and superb acting abilities have earned her nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, five British Academy Film Awards, and two Academy Awards, including one for Best Actress for her portrayal of disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in the biopic I, Tonya. Before the accolades and box office hits, however, she was known in her homeland Australia for playing Donna Freedman on their popular soap opera Neighbours between 2008 and 2011.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Guy Pearce
Summit Entertainment
Renowned Australian actor Guy Pearce has been gracing the big screen with his presence for over three decades, starring alongside the cream of Hollywood’s crop from Liam Neeson, Kevin Spacey, and Samuel L Jackson to Adam Sandler, Danny DeVito, and Kate Beckinsale, in genres ranging from historical dramas (The King’s Speech) and psychological thrillers (Memento) to family comedies (Bedtime Stories) and sci-fi action flicks (Alien: Covenant). Before moving to Hollywood and hitting the big time in the world of movies, Pearce started off by starring in the iconic Australian soap series Neighbours from 1986 for 3 years.
5 Natalie Imbruglia
StudioCanal
Natalie Imbruglia began to make a name for herself in the early-90s, appearing on Neighbours as Beth Brennan, but it wasn’t until she left and released her chart-topping song ‘Torn’ that she became an international household name. Her debut album Left of the Middle subsequently went onto a sell an eye-watering 7 million copies and earned her ARIA Awards, two Brit Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and three Grammy nominations. While predominantly known for her music, Imbruglia is no stranger to the world of movies, having made several appearances in multiple movies over the years. Her most notable role is most probably her appearance alongside legendary British comedian Rowan Atkinson in 2003’s spy comedy film Johnny English, which was a huge box office hit.
4 Liam Hemsworth
Lionsgate
Liam Hemsworth, along with his brothers Luke and Chris, are among the biggest names working in Hollywood today, and, interestingly, all three have appeared on the iconic Australian soap, but the younger Hemsworth’s appearance was far more notable than his brothers’ smaller appearances, as he was a frequent recurring character between 2007 and 2008. His brother Luke had made around 10 appearances on the show between 2001 and 2002, whilst Chris had been making a name for himself appearing on Neighbours’ biggest rival, Australian soap opera Home and Away, although he did make one appearance on Neighbours too. Since leaving the show, Hemsworth has gone on to appear in blockbuster films like The Hunger Games series and Independence Day: Resurgence.
3 Alan Dale
Fox
Alan Dale was one of the original cast members of Neighbours when it first aired way back in 1985, and since then, he went on to star in over 1000 episodes. After leaving the show and relocating to the States, he has becomes a familiar face in the world of television and movies, appearing in main roles on The O.C. as Caleb Nichol and Ugly Betty as Bradford Meade. He’s also had recurring roles in shows like Lost, 24, NCIS, ER, The West Wing, The X-Files, Entourage, and Once Upon a Time. Dale has also appeared in numerous films including, Star Trek: Nemesis, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
2 Russell Crowe
Marvel Studios
Russell Crowe starred in Neighbours very early on in his acting career in 1987, and, since leaving the show, has left an indelible mark on Hollywood where he continues to thrive to this day. Perhaps best known for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 epic historical film Gladiator, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, Crowe has appeared in a slew of box office blockbusters and acclaimed award winners, including A Beautiful Mind, L.A. Confidential, American Gangster, and more recently as Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder. Even after more than three decades in the business, Crowe continues to work on big releases, with multiple movies in the works slated for release over the next year or two, including Peter Farrelly’s biographical action-comedy drama The Greatest Beer Run with Bill Murray and Zac Efron, a horror movie entitled The Georgetown Project, and the upcoming superhero movie based on Marvel Comics’ Kraven The Hunter.
1 Kylie Minogue
Capcom / Edward R. Pressman Productions
Joining the series early on during its run in 1987, Kylie Minogue’s character Charlene Robinson has gone down as one the most popular characters in the show’s history, with her love arc with Jason Donovan’s character being of particular note. Since leaving the show, Minogue’s career has gone from high to high, with her becoming one of the most successful music artists of all time, having sold a staggering 80 million records worldwide, earning her the moniker of the Princess of Pop. Outside the world of music, she has appeared in numerous movies over the years, with some of her most notable roles including Sergeant Cammy White in 1994’s notorious Street Fighter movie starring Jean Claude Van Damme, which was panned at the time but has since gone on to amass a dedicated cult following, and Susan Riddick alongside Dwayne Johnson in the action-adventure movie San Andreas.
