6 Neighbours stars who went on to become household names
These home-grown stars cut their teeth with roles in Australia’s longest-running scripted drama, and have gone on to become bona fide international stars after making it big in Hollywood.
1. Margot Robbie
Margot appeared on Neighbours from 2008 to 2011, before moving to Hollywood, where she secured roles in the short-lived TV show Pan Am and the British film About Time. Her breakthrough moment came in 2013 with a role opposite Leonardo Dicaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. Most recently, she has had starring roles in Suicide Squad, Goodbye Christopher Robin, and I, Tonya, which she also produced, and received an Oscar nomination.
2. Alan Dale
As one of Neighbours original neighbours, Alan Dale (actually a Kiwi) left the show in 1993. With his career options limited at home, Dale made the move to the US in 2000, and found that he was in high demand for a variety of roles, making his biggest mark on television shows like The OC, Ugly Betty, Lost, and Once Upon a Time.
3. Jesse Spencer
Spending seven years living and loving on Ramsay Street (1994 – 2000), Jesse Spencer is best recognised in other parts of the world for his role as Dr Robert Chase on House. He remained on the medical drama for its entire run, and has been playing a firefighter on Chicago Fire ever since.
4. Liam Hemsworth
Appearing on Neighbours from 2007 to 2008, Liam Hemsworth didn’t hang around Ramsay Street for long before he moved on to the next phase of his career. Just three weeks after he moved to the US, Hemsworth landed his breakout role opposite Miley Cyrus in The Last Song. He became a household name and genuine heartthrob with his role of Gale in The Hunger Games films.
5. Guy Pearce
After a three-year stint on Neighbours, Guy Pearce made his cinematic breakthrough in the Aussie classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Just a few years later, he received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for his work in LA Confidential, and went on to win an armful of awards for his role in Memento. He was singled out for his role in the mini series, Mildred Pierce, winning an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award. More recently, Pearce has been seen in blockbusters like Iron Man 3, Prometheus, and Alien: Covenant, as well as in the Jack Irish series of TV movies and series.
6. Kylie Minogue
What kind of list would this be if we didn’t include our Kylie? She appeared on Neighbours from 1986 – 1988, before going on to conquer the music world, while continuing to appear in blockbusters like Street Fighter, and Moulin Rouge.
Which Neighbours star do you think will be the next to make it big?