From Marvel deals to critically acclaimed Quentin Tarantino movies, it’s fair to say that Neighbours has produced some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
The iconic Australian TV soap opera has been on air since 1985 and was first screened in the UK in 1986 on BBC1.
With some of TV’s biggest ratings in history, Neighbours quickly became an immensely popular show both in Australia and the UK.
As of this year, it became the only Australian soap to be shown all year round in the UK.
Not only is the show hugely popular with fans, it was also the breakthrough platform for many Hollywood stars.
Kylie Minogue
(Image: AFP)
Kylie Minogue, 53, is one of the most famous stars to come out of the iconic Aussie soap.
Although the Spinning Around singer is now a Grammy-award-winning artist with a net worth of $120 million, she was best known to fans in her early years as Charlene Mitchell.
Playing the tomboy mechanic Charlene, Kylie soon became a fan favourite and was at the heart of the show’s highest-rated episode.
Her wedding to Scott Robinson, played by Jason Donovan, was a moment of TV history. The episode attracted an audience of 20 million viewers and remains the most watch episode of the entire series.
Although Kylie’s career has reached new heights, working on Neighbours in her hometown, Melbourne, was the start of exciting things to come.
Russell Crowe
(Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)
Another famous face to have started out on Ramsey Street is Russell Crowe.
Crowe, who played Henry Ramsay’s dodgy ex-cellmate, only appeared in four episodes of the show.
The Gladiator actor, now 57, credits Neighbours as one of his first on-screen acting jobs.
The New Zealander soared to new heights after appearing on the show and now sits among Hollywood royalty as an Oscar-winning actor.
Margot Robbie
(Image: five)
The Australian beauty rose to fame after appearing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street.
Known for her stunning looks and incredible talent, Robbie, 31, soon became a hit on the Hollywood screen.
However, her career started out, like many of those before her, on Neighbours, where she played Donna Freedman, the loveable teenager.
(Image: Getty Images)
Although Robbie appeared on the show for nearly three years, she left to pursue her career.
Since the show, the Suicide Squad actress has been nominated for two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes and has worked with a number of famous directors and actors.
In 2019 Forbes ranked her among the highest-paid actresses in the world.
Chris and Liam Hemsworth
(Image: Network Ten)
The Hemsworth brothers have soared to incredible heights from their humble Australian roots.
Liam, 31, who has since starred in The Hunger Games, began his career on Neighbours playing Josh Taylor, the athletic paraplegic.
Although Liam was on the show for a year, his brother Chris only made a guest appearance.
(Image: Getty Images for G’Day USA)
Christ Hemsworth, 38, now known to many as Thor from the Marvel universe, starred on the rival soap show, Home and Away, but made a guest appearance as Jamie Kane in one episode.
Their elder brother, Luke Hemsworth, also appeared in Neighbours as footballer Nathan Tyson.
Holly Valance
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The Prison Break actress and model started out as Felicity “Flick” Scully on the Australian soap.
After her role on Neighbours, Holly pursued a career in music, and had a hit single with “Kiss Kiss.”
The artist has since gone on to feature in CSI: Miami and Entourage as well as compete in Strictly Come Dancing in 2011.
Natalie Imbruglia
(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Holly Valance and Kylie weren’t the only ones to pursue a career in music after breaking into the world of acting through Neighbours.
Imbruglia left the Australian soap after playing Beth Brennan in the early 90s.
Her singing career took off with her cover of Ednaswap’s song “Torn” which earned Imbruglia a Grammy nomination.
The singer is still reaping the benefits of the hit song, as well as lucrative modeling deals.
Delta Goodrem
(Image: BBC)
The Australian singer, songwriter and actress started her career playing Nina Tucker on Neighbours.
Delta started her career where she intended to stay as her role as a songwriting schoolgirl was just a sample of her incredible music talent set to come.
The singer left Neighbours and quickly became and global star. Her album, Innocent Eyes, remains the second-best-selling Australian album of all time.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
