Home and Away may only be a speck in the ocean that is the highly-competitive showbusiness industry, but the beloved Aussie soap has helped catapult dozens of Australian actors to international stardom.
From hunky Hollywood hunk Chris Hemsworth to the hugely successful Isla Fisher, it’s easy to forget that some of the Australia’s homegrown A-listers got their start in Summer Bay.
Keep scrolling to see how Home and Away has launched the careers of our all-time favourite Summer Bay alums.
Since leaving Home and Away way back in 1997, Isla Fisher has gone from strength to strength, staring in The Great Gatsby, along with other hugely popular films like Wedding Crashers, Confessions of a Shopaholic and Scooby-Doo.
Despite her international success, the mother-of-three told The Observer that playing Shannon Reed on Home and Away from 1994-97 “taught me how to look good in a bikini,” and “how to deliver bad dialogue convincingly.”
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth was a Home And Away regular before he moved to Hollywood – and he’s now one of the film industry’s highest paid actors. He continues to received high praise for his performances as the legendary God of thunder in the Thor movies.
Of his major role, the Aussie heartthrob admitted he was just as nervous to star alongside Summer Bay veteran Ray Meagher back in the day, as he was Anthony Hopkins. “The first time I met Ray Meagher who plays Alf, I was as nervous as meeting Anthony Hopkins,” he told The Project.
Outside of Marvel, the father-of-three (who now lives in Byron Bay with his actress wife Elsa Pataky) has also starred in Extraction, Men in Black: International, Snow White and the Huntsman, Extraction, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Dannii Minogue
Dannii played Emma Jackson in the Aussie drama from 1989 to 1990 – and has since gone on to become one of Australia’s most successful exports. She enjoyed a three-season stint as a judge on The Masked Singer Australia, as well as a judging spot on The X Factor Australia from 2013-2015.
In 2018, Dannii expressed her nostalgia for Summer Bay, admitting she’d love to return to the show that helped launch her career. “I so want to go back to Home and Away. I go through my mind like, ‘What would the storyline be and what would the fans want me to do?’ I would like to do something really wacky, though,” she said.
Samara Weaving
Samara Weaving is another Summer Bay alum taking Hollywood by storm. The blonde beauty, who played Indigo Walker for four years on Home and Away, has gone on to star in award-winning blockbuster Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri as well as the popular horror flick Ready Or Not.
However, she also worked alongside fellow Aussie, Nicole Kidman in the 2021 television drama Nine Perfect Strangers.
In May 2022, Samara reflected on the cutthroat nature of Home and Away, saying actors on the soap need to adapt fast to avoid losing their spot on the show. “You need to learn your lines and know what your mark is and where the cameras are, and you need to find your light – you need to learn that so quickly; otherwise, they will just replace you,” she told News Corp.
Tammin Sursok
Aussie actress Tammin Sursok has come a long way since leaving her role of Dani Sutherland on Home And Away in 2004.
In 2008, she was recognised for her role in the world’s number one day time soap, The Young And The Restless. She went on to land a part in America’s mystery-thriller Pretty Little Liars, and in 2022 had a minor role in Joe vs Carole, based on the hugely popular Netflix documentary Tiger King.
After years of living in the US, Tammin and her husband Sean McEwen returned to Australia with their two daughters during the pandemic.
Steve Peacocke
From Home and Away‘s River Boy to a Hollywood Greek warrior, Steve Peacocke made his blockbuster debut in the movie Hercules in 2014.
“It’s a supporting role in a very big film so it’s probably the best introduction you could have to that sort of Hollywood world where everything is on a big scale,” Stephen said of his role that saw him star alongside Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
In 2016, Stephen starred opposite Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke in the romantic drama Me Before You.
His other Hollywood film credits include Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, which featured fellow Aussie Margot Robbie, as well as Little Monsters, Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan, Five Bedrooms, RFDS and Human Error.
Ryan Kwanten
He played Vinnie Patterson on Home And Away from 1997 to 2002, but audiences around the world also know hunky Ryan Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse, a heartthrob on American vampire drama True Blood.
Ryan has also appeared in movies such as The Right Kind of Wrong, Section Eight, and Not Suitable for Children.
Isabel Lucas
We know her best as Tasha from Home and Away, but Australian beauty Isabel Lucas has carved out a name for herself in Hollywood since leaving Summer Bay in 2006.
She’s enjoyed roles in blockbusters like Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, Immortals, Careful What You Wish For, and Red Dawn alongside fellow Aussie Chris Hemsworth.
Melissa George
Melissa George starred on Home and Away from 1993 until 1996. Since then, she has appeared in the critically-acclaimed blockbuster Mulholland Drive, but her biggest success has been on the small screen. She’s starred in hugely popular US TV shows including Charmed, Grey’s Anatomy, Monk, Friends and The Good Wife.
However, the US-based actress has isolated herself from her Aussie fans by infamously proclaiming: “I don’t need credibility from my country anymore; I just need them all to be quiet. If they have nothing intelligent to say, please don’t speak to me anymore.”
Julian McMahon
It’s hard to believe that Hollywood megastar Julian McMahon began his acting career on Home and Away. Since his surfing days at Palm Beach, he has earned great success from a number of acting stints, including his portrayals of Cole Turner in the hit series Charmed, portraying the villain in Fantastic Four and as womanising plastic surgeon Christian Troy on Golden Globe winning show Nip/Tuck.
