Olivia Newton-John's breathy voice and stunning beauty made her one of the biggest pop stars of the 1970s. She charmed generations of movie viewers in the blockbuster film Grease. Following a string of country and soft-rock hits, Newton-John starred opposite John Travolta in the 1978 blockbuster Grease, considered as one the most popular movie musicals of all time.
Shane Warne was a former Australian cricket player, best known for his leg-break bowling. Widely regarded as one of the greatest spin bowlers of all time, Warne was the second-highest wicket-taker in test cricket. He was also one of the most controversial cricketers. In 2013, Shane Warne was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
English-born Australian actress, director, and screenwriter, Rachel Ward, has been active in the entertainment industry for over 40 years. She attended the Byam Shaw School of Art in London for some time but quit midway to start her career as a model. Following a successful stint as a model, she began acting and screenwriting.
Levi Miller is an Australian model and actor known for his portrayal of Peter Pan in the 2015 American fantasy film, Pan. He also achieved widespread critical acclaim for his performance in the psychological horror film, Better Watch Out. Miller, who has been active since a young age, was named ambassador for the Ralph Lauren kids' fall campaign in 2015.
Brianna Keilar is a journalist who previously worked as a general assignment correspondent, Congressional correspondent, and White House correspondent for CNN. She is currently working as CNN's senior political correspondent. In 2019, Keilar, a military spouse, started writing a column titled Home Front, which continues to play an important role in bridging the civilian-military divide.
Kostya Tszyu is a former boxer who held multiple light-welterweight championships. Renowned for his punching power, Tszyu is considered one of the hardest-punching boxers in the history of light-welterweight boxing. He represented the Soviet Union at the 1991 World Championships, where he won a gold medal. In 2010, Tszyu was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Baz Luhrmann is an Australian writer and filmmaker. Thanks to his deep involvement in the direction, writing, and musical aspects of his work, Luhrmann is cited as an example of an auteur. His involvement often reflects on his work as he is one of the most successful Australian directors of his generation; many of his films are huge commercial successes.
Nobel Prize-winning Australian physician Barry Marshall, along with his colleague Robin Warren, proved that gastric ulcers were caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori and not by spicy food and other causes as previously believed. Their research made it possible to cure such ulcers by treating the bacteria with antibiotics.
Alexander Volkanovski is an Australian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Volkanovski is the current featherweight champion in UFC and is currently ranked fourth in the UFC men's pound-for-pound list. Alexander Volkanovski has had one successful title defense and one Fight of the Night honor in his UFC career so far.
David Unaipon was an Aboriginal Australian preacher, author, and inventor. He is best remembered for his significant contribution to Australian society, which helped break several stereotypes about Aboriginal Australians. Apart from establishing a couple of awards in his honor, the Australian government has also featured Unaipon on the Australian fifty-dollar note.
Dawn Fraser is an Australian freestyle champion swimmer. She won the Olympic individual event the women's 100-meter freestyle three times in her career. She also won six Commonwealth Games gold medals. Much respected for her athletic abilities, she was also known for her controversial behavior. She became a swimming coach after her retirement. She is also a former politician.
Elizabeth Kenny was an Australian bush nurse. A self-trained nurse, Kenny pioneered a new and then-controversial method to treat the victims of poliomyelitis. Her method, which she advocated enthusiastically, became the foundation of physiotherapy. Her life and career inspired the 1946 American biographical film Sister Kenny, in which she was played by Rosalind Russell.
Howard Florey was an Australian pathologist and pharmacologist. He is best remembered for his role in the formation of penicillin, for which he shared the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Alexander Fleming and Ernst Chain in the year 1945. Florey is credited with carrying out the first clinical trial of penicillin at the Radcliffe Infirmary in 1941.
John Cornforth was an Australian-British chemist who became the first Nobel laureate from New South Wales when he was honored with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975. Over the course of his career, Cornforth also won other prestigious awards like the Royal Medal, Copley Medal, and Centenary Medal. In 1975, he was adjudged the Australian of the Year.
Joey Bizinger, better known by his pseudonym The Anime Man, is a Japanese-Australian rapper, voice actor, songwriter, podcaster, and YouTuber. His work focuses on manga, gaming, Japanese culture, anime, and language. In 2020, he began a podcast called Trash Taste.
Known for her creative photographs of babies, Anne Geddes has also contributed to many best-selling photobooks and calendars. A school drop-out, she initially worked in television and took up photography seriously at 25, becoming a full-fledged photographer at 30. She is also an ambassador of initiatives such as Shot at Life.
Samantha Armytage is an Australian TV presenter and journalist best known for co-hosting a popular breakfast show called Sunrise from 2013 to 2021. Samantha Armytage has also hosted other shows, such as Bringing Sexy Back and Seven 4.30 News. In 2021, she launched her own podcast titled Something to Talk About with Samantha Armytage.
Born in Fiji, Don Dunstan served as the premier of South Australia. A progressive politician, he had headed the Freedom from Hunger Campaign and the Movement for Democracy, apart from fighting for the rights of women and the aboriginal communities. He also opposed the death sentence of rapist-murderer Max Stuart.
Marcos Ambrose is an Australian retired motor racing driver best known for winning the prestigious V8 Supercar series' championship twice. In 2011, he became the first Australian to win NASCAR's Cup Series at Watkins Glen International. Marcos Ambrose was honored with the prestigious Australian Sports Medal for his achievements and contribution to motor racing in 2000.
South African-born Collette Dinnigan later moved to New Zealand and then to Australia, where she worked for ABC’s costume department. The first Australian designer to showcase a ready-to-wear collection in Paris, she specializes in lace and embellishments. She is now part of the Hall of Fame of Australian Businesswomen.
Sally Pearson is an Australian former athlete. After winning a silver medal in the 100 m hurdles at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Pearson went on to win Olympic gold in the same event in 2012. A two-time world champion, Sally Pearson also won two gold medals in Commonwealth Games. In 2011, she was named Female Athlete of the Year.
Jay Laga'aia is a New Zealand-Australian singer and actor. He achieved international recognition when he played Captain Typho in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and its 2005 sequel. Jay Laga'aia has become a household name in Australia for appearing in children's TV series like Jay's Jungle and Play School.
Known as the Blonde Bomber to her fans, Australian boxer and female super-bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges had begun training in karate at age 5 and had then moved on to kickboxing, Muay Thai, and eventually competitive bodybuilding. She is a qualified math teacher and speaks 5 languages, too.
Kepler Wessels is a South African-Australian former cricket player who has represented South Africa as well as Australia in international cricket. He has also captained the South African national team. Wessels has also played an influential role as a coach, working with popular teams like Chennai Super Kings of the Indian Premier League.
Kerry Stokes is an Australian businessman best known for his association with one of Australia's largest broadcast repeating corporations, The Seven Network, where he serves as the chairman. He is also known for his immense contribution to the National Gallery of Australia; apart from donating millions of dollars to the national art museum, Stokes has also served as its chairman.
Tilda Cobham-Hervey is an Australian actress known for her work in all three major acting mediums. She is one of the few actresses with a background in physical theatre and circus. Her journey from being an entertainer at a circus, whose specialities involved acrobatic pitching, trapeze, and hula hoop, to becoming a popular actress is quite inspirational.