Australian actress and producer Nicole Kidman is one of the world's highest-paid actresses. She is the founder of the production company Blossom Films. She was twice named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Besides acting, she has been a Goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 1994.
Australian heartthrob Jacob Elordi was a film buff since an early age and wanted to become an actor like his idol, Heath Ledger. Following a debut in a musical and few more acting assignments, he ultimately hit it big with Netflix teen film The Kissing Booth and HBO series Euphoria. Jacob Elordi is also a budding young activist and has spoken out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Regarded as the successor to Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn was an Australian-born actor who gained recognition in the Golden Age of Hollywood mainly because of his romantic swashbuckler roles. He also achieved fame for his reputation as a womanizer and party animal in personal life. His career and life inspired several films, such as My Wicked, Wicked Ways and Flynn.
Star of the horror film Messengers 2: The Scarecrow and 47 Meters Down, Claire Holt is a Brisbane-born American actress and model, who appeared on the Buddy TV list of top 100 sexiest women in 2011. She is also known for acting in the Australian television series H2O: Just Add Water. Married to Andrew Joblon, she has two children.
Australian cricketer Steve Smith captained the Australian Test team and also tied with Garry Sobers when he made a record 6,000 Test runs in 111 innings, the second-best after Donald Bradman. The Allan Border Medal-winning batsman was banned from Australian cricket for a year for overseeing ball tampering.
Bob Irwin, better known to the world as the father of legendary Australian conservationist Steve Irwin, is a conservationist in his own right. Initially a plumber, he later built the Beerwah Reptile Park, which later became Australia Zoo. Following Steve’s death, he cut all ties with the zoo.
Iconic Australian country singer Slim Dusty mirrored the Australian bush life through his songs. His masterpieces include A Pub with No Beer, the first gold-certified Australian track. He earned a record 45 Golden Guitar honors at the Tamworth Country Music Awards but lost his battle with cancer at 76.
Peter Norman was an Australian athlete who won a silver medal in the 200 meters event at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He is remembered for supporting fellow athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos by wearing the Olympic Project for Human Rights badge during their medal ceremony; he is the third athlete seen in the popular Olympics Black Power salute photograph.
John Monash was an Australian military commander during World War I. He played a major role in the Gallipoli campaign, which took place from February 1915 to January 1916 on the Gallipoli peninsula. John Monash is widely regarded as the most popular commander in Australian history and one of the most prominent allied generals of World War I.
Lionel Rose was an Australian boxer who became the first Aboriginal Australian to win a world title when he defeated Harada for the world bantamweight title in 1968. This win made him a national hero and an icon among Indigenous Australians. In 1968, he also became the first Aboriginal Australian to be adjudged Australian of the Year.
Alice Englert is an Australian actress, singer, songwriter, writer, and director. She is best known for her portrayal of Rosa in the 2012 coming-of-age drama film Ginger & Rosa. Her work in the film was honored by the Women Film Critics Circle in 2013. Alice Englert has also played important roles in TV series like New Worlds and Dangerous Liaisons.
Henry Lawson was an Australian bush poet and writer. Often referred to as Australia's greatest short story writer, Lawson is one of the best-known Australian fiction writers and poets of the colonial period. Also a nationalist, Henry Lawson contributed immensely to a popular Australian magazine named The Bulletin. In 1949, he was featured in an Australian postage stamp.
Colin Hay is an Australian-American musician, actor, singer, and songwriter. Known for his work with popular bands like Men at Work, Hay's music has been immortalized by actor-director Zach Braff, who has used his music in many of his own works. In 2020, Hay was honored at the APRA Awards with the Distinguished Services Award for his contribution to music.
Charles Perkins had initially been a footballer who played for teams such as Everton and coached Pan-Hellenic to fund his university studies. He later gained recognition as an Aboriginal activist after organizing the Freedom Ride to protest against racial discrimination and became the Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
Australian author Colleen McCullough soared to fame with her bestselling novel The Thorn Birds, which was also made into a hit miniseries. Fans also lover her Masters of Rome and Carmine Delmonico series of novels. A former neuropsychologist, she has previously taught at the Yale School of Medicine.
UK-based video journalist Brady Haran is known for his popular YouTube math channel Numberphile. Fans also love his other channels, such as the chemistry-oriented Periodic Videos and the physics-oriented Sixty Symbols, and his podcasts Hello Internet and The Unmade Podcast. He also has inactive channels on language, food, and culture.
Olympic bronze-winning Australian swimmer Justin Norris is known for his mastery in the butterfly and individual medley categories and for his catchphrase, “I’m stoked.” He won three golds at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He is the father of Sabre Norris and her siblings from the YouTube channel The Norris Nuts.
Michelle Jenneke is an Australian track and field athlete and model. She won a silver medal for Australia at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. She received international recognition in 2012 when her pre-race warm-up dance became famous on the internet. As a model, Michelle Jenneke was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2013.
Markus Zusak is an Australian writer best known for his novels The Book Thief and The Messenger, which became international bestsellers. His mother is originally from Germany, while his father hails from Austria. Zusak was born and raised in Australia. He received the Kathleen Mitchell Award in 2006 and the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 2014.
Craig Johnston is a former football player who played in the English Football League. He is best known for representing Liverpool with which he won five league titles, European Cup, and an FA Cup. Johnston scored 40 goals for Liverpool while appearing in 271 games. Also an innovator, Craig Johnston is credited with designing the prototype for Adidas' Predator boot.
Though known as a country singer, Australian singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers also mixes folk, blues, and rock n’ roll in her music. Born to the country singer duo Bill and Diane Chambers, she joined her family band at age 10. She later released chartbusting solo hits such as Not Pretty Enough.
Billie Kay is an Australian professional wrestler best known for her time in WWE. She was part of the tag team The IIconics alongside Peyton Royce. She was interested in wrestling from a young age and was trained by Madison Eagles. She was once associated with the Pro Wrestling Women's Alliance promotion. She now competes on the independent circuit.
Apart from being an award-winning horticulturalist and landscape designer, Jamie Durie has also proved himself to be a skilled TV host. He also owns the architecture company Patio, later renamed Durie Design, and has gained fame for his shows such as The Outdoor Room and HGTV Showdown.
The first wife of Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, who later became the king of Italy, Adelaide of Austria was a Milanese noblewoman who became the queen of Sardinia. She birthed 8 children, including future king of Italy, Umberto I. Her marriage to Victor was primarily a political alliance.
Renowned immunologist Gustav Nossal was born in Vienna but later moved with his family to Australia to escape the Nazi reign. A University of Melbourne professor, he was later knighted for his work. He has also passionately worked to ensure the public health of marginalized communities.
Australian indie singer Laura Imbruglia is better known as the sister of popstar Natalie Imbruglia, who once rocked the charts with her global hit Torn. Known for tracks such as Looking for a Rabbit, Laura has also written the web series Amateur Hour and appeared in the TV series Crash Palace.
Robin Warren is an Australian pathologist best known for re-discovering the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Along with Barry J. Marshall, Warren proved that Helicobacter pylori causes stomach ulcers. In 2005, he won the prestigious Nobel Prize in Medicine, which he shared with Marshall. Their Nobel Prize-winning work became the subject of a documentary titled The Winner's Guide to the Nobel Prize.