Although Neighbours may appear to be simply another soap opera, over the course of its history, it has given birth to several well-known Hollywood figures. Numerous popular names, ranging from gladiators to superhero namesakes, had their start on Neighbours, one of the many soap operas produced by Reg Watson, who also worked on Sons and Daughters and Britain’s Crossroads.
Neighbours is a soap opera that debuted in 1985 and chronicled the lives of families residing in Erinsborough, a made-up suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The Ramsay, Robinson, and Clarke families live on Ramsay Street, a cul-de-sac, which serves as the series’ primary setting.
Although the cast has grown over the years, the series’ principal theme remains the bonds that are shared by families in a small community. In addition to focusing on stories about relationships and intergenerational conflict, Neighbours also tackled issues including domestic vἰolence, s*xuality, and drμg usage.
The popular soap opera’s future is currently in danger. The series is broadcast and partially produced by station Ten in Australia, but since 2008, Channel 5, a Viacom-CBS-owned station in the UK, has provided the majority of the funding.
Channel 5 recently declared that it would regretfully stop producing Neighbours in favor of producing more original television. The soap opera Neighbours may finally be coming to an end after more than 20 years if Channel Ten is unable to find a new partner to produce it. Here is a list of every Hollywood celebrity who started off on Neighbours…
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Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie, an Australian actress, first gained attention on Neighbours before going on to play Naomi in The Wolf of Wall Street and Harley Quinn in the Suicide Squad movies. In more than 300 episodes from 2008 to 2011, Robbie portrayed Donna Brown.
Robbie’s character was supposed to be a guest appearance, but Donna was promoted to the position of the main character, exploring plotlines like marriage, bis*xuality, and adμltery. Robbie left the show after three years to try her luck in Hollywood, and it certainly paid off. Robbie is currently working on a number of projects, including Barbie, Gotham City Sirens, and a potential Pirates of the Caribbean remake.
Russell Crowe
One of the biggest actors to emerge from Neighbours is Russell Crowe. Russell Crowe is well-known for his famous performances in films like Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, and Les Misérables.
Crowe appeared in four episodes of Neighbours in 1987 before landing his first significant film part as Kenny Larkin, an ex-convict who tries to pull off a cash fraud at the neighborhood tavern The Waterhole.
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Even though Crowe’s part in the soap opera was small, it gave him the opportunity to launch an amazing Hollywood career that resulted in his winning an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and more. Alongside fellow Neighbours alumni Liam and Chris Hemsworth, Crowe will appear in the upcoming films Poker Face and Thor: Love and Thunder, respectively.
Chris Hemsworth
Despite having a minor part in Neighbours, the older Hemsworth brother’s performance there helped establish a powerful career. One episode of Neighbours featured Chris Hemsworth, who is well-known for playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Hemsworth portrayed Jamie Kane, Steph Scully’s coworker in the garage. However, thanks to his appearance, he was offered the lead part of Kim Hyde in Home and Away, another Australian soap series. Hemsworth might not have gotten roles in Hollywood films like Red Dawn, Ghostbusters, and Men in Black: International without his brief cameo on Neighbours.
Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth began his career on numerous Australian soap operas like his older brother, but Liam went in a slightly different way.
Home and Away saw Liam Hemsworth in just one episode, but he starred in Neighbours for 25 episodes as Josh Taylor, a young surfer who came to Erinsborough for physical therapy after suffering a surfing accident that left him paralyzed.
Hemsworth’s stint on Neighbours paved the way for his success in Hollywood; a few years later, he landed the role of Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games, which served as his big break. Hemsworth is well recognized for his roles in action flicks, which include Poker Face and Independence Day: Resurgence to his resume.
Guy Pearce
Guy Pearce’s very first acting role was on Neighbours before he went on to portray parts in movies like The Hurt Locker and Prometheus. Pearce portrayed Mike Young, a boy who fled his vἰolent father and moved to Ramsay Street.
Pearce made appearances in more than 450 episodes of Neighbours between 1986 and 1989. After a brief time on Home and Away, Pearce made his Hollywood debut in Christopher Nolan’s Memento as Leonard.
Kylie Minogue
Although Kylie Minogue is well-known throughout the world for her singing and her parts in movies like Moulin Rouge!, her career actually got its start when she was a cast member of Neighbours. In more than 340 episodes from 1986 to 1988, Minogue played Charlene Robinson.
With over 20 million viewers, Minogue and Scott Robinson’s on-screen wedding (performed by Jason Donovan) became one of the most recognizable episodes in Australian television history.
Ben Mendelsohn
Although Ben Mendelsohn is now a pillar of the Disney universe, he was a Ramsay Street resident prior to his big break. Mendelsohn played Warren Murphy, Charlene Robinson’s brief love interest when he was barely 17 years old.
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The part was appropriate given that Mendelsohn joined the cast to work with his friend Kylie Minogue. Mendelsohn later obtained parts in several Disney productions, such as those of Talos in Captain Marvel and Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Alan Dale
Alan Dale played one of the biggest parts in the Australian soap opera Neighbours among the Hollywood celebrities who emerged from it. Dale portrayed Jim Robinson, the head of the Robinson family and one of the show’s 12 original characters, in approximately 1000 episodes.
Dale was a mainstay of the show from 1985 to 1993; however, a dispute with the producers led the actor to leave Neighbours. His career was far from over after leaving Neighbours; Dale went on to feature in films like Priest and TV shows like NCIS and Dynasty.
Holly Valance
Another Neighbours star who went on to succeed in Hollywood and the music industry is Holly Valance. Felicity “Flick” Scully, a strong-willed feminist who wore her heart on her sleeve, was the character that Valance played in Neighbours. Valance left his role as Flick after 420 episodes and pursued a career in music.
Though Valance added films like DOA: Dead or Alive and Taken to her filmography after leaving Neighbours, that didn’t imply her acting days were finished.
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