Home and Away may be a drop in the ocean of the highly competitive entertainment industry, yet the popular Australian serial has enabled dozens of Australian actors to achieve international fame.
It’s easy to forget that several of Australia’s A-listers got their start in Summer Bay, from handsome Hollywood heartthrob Chris Hemsworth to the phenomenally popular Isla Fisher.
Continue reading to learn how Home and Away helped start the careers of some of our favorite Summer Bay alums.
Isla Fisher
Isla Fisher has gone from strength to strength since leaving Home and Away in 1997, starring in The Great Gatsby and other extremely popular films including Wedding Crashers, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and Scooby-Doo.
Despite her international fame, the mother-of-three said that her role as Shannon Reed on Home and Away from 1994 to 1997 taught her “how to look nice in a bikini” and “how to deliver awful language effectively.”
(Photo courtesy of Getty/Seven)
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth was a regular on Home And Away before moving to Hollywood, and he’s now one of Hollywood’s highest-paid performers. He is still being praised for his portrayal of the mythical God of Thunder in the Thor films.
In terms of his significant role, the Australian heartthrob claimed he was just as apprehensive as Anthony Hopkins to play alongside Summer Bay veteran Ray Meagher back in the day. “I was as nervous as Anthony Hopkins when I first met Ray Meagher, who portrays Alf,” he told The Project.
Outside of Marvel, the father of three (who currently resides in Byron Bay with his actress wife Elsa Pataky) has appeared in films such as Extraction, Men in Black: International, and Snow White and the Huntsman.
(Photo credit: Marvel)
Dannii Minogue
Chris Hemsworth was a regular on Home And Away before moving to Hollywood, and he’s now one of Hollywood’s highest-paid performers. He is still being praised for his portrayal of the mythical God of Thunder in the Thor films.
In terms of his significant role, the Australian heartthrob claimed he was just as apprehensive as Anthony Hopkins to play alongside Summer Bay veteran Ray Meagher back in the day. “I was as nervous as Anthony Hopkins when I first met Ray Meagher, who portrays Alf,” he told The Project.
Outside of Marvel, the father of three (who currently resides in Byron Bay with his actress wife Elsa Pataky) has appeared in films such as Extraction, Men in Black: International, and Snow White and the Huntsman.
(Photo credit: Marvel)
Samara Weaving
Another Summer Bay alum, Samara Weaving, is making waves in Hollywood. After four years on Home and Away, the blonde beauty went on to star in the award-winning blockbuster Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and the popular horror film Ready Or Not.
The 30-year-most old’s notable appearance to date was alongside Nicole Kidman in the 2021 television drama Nine Perfect Strangers.
In May 2022, Samara discussed the soap’s competitive character, noting that actors on the show must change quickly or risk losing their roles. “You need to memorise your lines and know what your mark is and where the cameras are, and you need to locate your light – you need to understand that quickly,” she told News Corp.
(Image courtesy of Amazon Prime/Seven)
Tammin Sursok
Tammin Sursok has gone a long way since leaving her role as Dani Sutherland on the Australian soap opera Home And Away in 2004.
The mother-of-two was honored in 2008 for her work in The Young And The Restless, the world’s most popular daytime drama. She went on to play a tiny role in Joe vs Carole, a film based on the massively famous Netflix documentary Tiger King, in 2022.
During the epidemic, the 38-year-old and her husband Sean McEwen returned to Australia with their two daughters after years in the United States.
(Photo credit: Instagram/Seven)
Steve Peacocke
Tammin Sursok has gone a long way since leaving her role as Dani Sutherland on the Australian soap opera Home And Away in 2004.
The mother-of-two was honoured in 2008 for her work in The Young And The Restless, the world’s most popular daytime drama. She went on to play a tiny role in Joe vs Carole, a film based on the massively famous Netflix documentary Tiger King, in 2022.
During the epidemic, the 38-year-old and her husband Sean McEwen returned to Australia with their two daughters after years in the United States.
(Photo credit: Instagram/Seven)
Ryan Kwanten
Ryan Kwanten is best known for his role as Jason Stackhouse, a heartthrob on the American vampire drama True Blood. He played Vinnie Patterson on Home And Away from 1997 until 2002.
He’s also starred in films including The Right Kind of Wrong and Not Suitable for Children.
(Photo credit: Seven/HBO)
Isabel Lucas
Isabel Lucas is best known for her role as Tasha on Home and Away, but she has made a name for herself in Hollywood since leaving Summer Bay in 2006.
Although the 37-year-old currently resides in Byron Bay, she has appeared in blockbusters such as Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, Immortals, and Careful What You Wish For.
(Image courtesy of Universal Pictures/Seven)
Melissa George
From 1993 until 1996, Melissa George starred on Home and Away. The 45-year-old has since starred in the highly praised blockbuster Mulholland Drive, but her greatest triumph has come on television. She’s been in shows like Charmed, Grey’s Anatomy, Monk, Friends, and The Good Wife in the United States.
However, the American actress has alienated her Australian followers by famously declaring: “I don’t need my country’s reputation any longer; all I need is for everyone to be silent. Please stop talking to me if they have nothing intelligent to say.”
(Photo credit: ABC/Seven)
Julian McMahon
It’s difficult to think that Hollywood megastar Julian McMahon got his start on Home and Away. He has had a variety of acting roles since his surfing days in Palm Beach, including his roles as Cole Turner in the hit series Charmed and as womanizing plastic surgeon, Christian Troy on the Golden Globe-winning show Nip/Tuck.
(Photo credit: Seven/FX)
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