University Of Melbourne Notable Alumni

Cate Blanchett is one of the most celebrated actresses of her times. She attained fame with the drama film, Elizabeth, in 1998. The Aviator, Blue Jasmine, Notes on a Scandal, Carol, The Talented Mr Ripley, Babel and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button are some of her other acclaimed and successful films. She has won two Academy awards so far.

Harold Holt was an Australian politician and the 17th prime minister of Australia. On 17 December 1967, Holt disappeared while swimming in rough conditions at Cheviot Beach. Following his disappearance, which gave rise to several conspiracy theories, Harold Holt was presumed dead. The Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre in Melbourne is named in his honor.

Cathy Freeman is a former sprinter known for her achievements in the 400 meters events. Her personal best of 48.63, set at the 1996 Olympics, makes her the eighth-fastest woman of all time. She gave Australia an Olympic gold at the 2000 Olympics. Also a humanitarian, Freeman is credited with founding the Cathy Freeman Foundation.

Judith Durham is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter. In 1963, she became the lead singer of the popular folk-influenced pop quartet The Seekers, which became the first Australian pop band to achieve major sales and chart success in the United States and the United Kingdom. Her services to music earned her the title Victorian of the Year in 2015.

Julian Assange made headlines all over the world in 2010 when WikiLeaks, a non-profit organization founded by him, gained international attention after publishing leaks, such as the Afghanistan war logs and Iraq war logs. After dodging arrest for several years, he was finally arrested in 2019 and is currently imprisoned in HM Prison Belmarsh.

Award-winning Australian porn actor-director Angela White now mostly works in the US. Part of the AVN Hall of Fame, is a gender studies graduate from the University of Melbourne and has conducted extensive research on pornography. She became the first Fleshlight Girl from Australia and has also been a webcam model.

Robert Menzies was an Australian politician who served as the prime minister of Australia on two non-consecutive terms. He served over 18 years in total, becoming the longest-serving prime minister in Australian history. His government is known for its emphasis on higher education, national security policies, and immigration schemes. After retirement, he became the chancellor of the University of Melbourne. 

Australian author and feminist Germaine Greer made headlines with her first book, The Female Eunuch, which focused on female sexuality. Greer’s career boasts of a PhD in literature, and she has also taught at the University of Warwick and other institutes. She was later named an Australian National Living Treasure.

The second prime minister of Australia and Federation movement leader Alfred Deakin had developed an interest in literature and philosophy and had written several pieces of drama and poetry while studying to be a barrister. He later joined the Liberal Party. He spent his final years struggling with memory loss.

Nobel Prize-winning Australian-American biochemist and molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn is best known for co-discovering the enzyme telomerase. She was allegedly removed from the American President's Council on Bioethics over her support for stem cell research, which went against the government. She has honorary doctorate degrees from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.

Australian moral philosopher, Peter Singer, is currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specializes in applied ethics. He is best known for his book Animal Liberation, which is considered a seminal work in the animal liberation movement.  The Council of Australian Humanist Societies recognized him as the Australian Humanist of the Year in 2004.

Well-known Australian comedienne Magda Szubanski soared to fame with her performances in shows such as Kath and Kim, D-Generation, and Fast Forward. She has also been part of movies such as Happy Feet and penned a bestselling memoir. An open lesbian, she is also an LGBT activist.

Businesswoman and philanthropist, Portia de Rossi, is the founder and CEO of the art company, General Public. A former actress and model, she is best known for starring in the TV drama series, Ally McBeal. After a successful acting career that spanned over 20 years, she retired from acting to focus on her business ventures.

Part of the comedy duo Hamish and Andy, Hamish Blake has entertained audiences on various TV and radio shows, such as the Logie Award-winning Hamish and Andy's Gap Year. Not known to many, Hamish had dropped out of a double university degree in science and commerce, to step into comedy.

Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins is known for her chartbusting singles such as Scar and Where I Stood. She has also performed at international events such as TEDx. Her hit album The Sound of White made it to the top 5 of the End of Decade Top 100 Albums Chart in 2010.

Kerry Greenwood is an Australian author and lawyer who writes children’s books, mystery, science fiction, and historical fiction. She is best known for her series of historical detective novels about the fictional character Phryne Fisher. She has a law degree and worked full-time as a criminal defense lawyer before becoming a professional writer. She has won a Davitt Award.

Best known as the host of RocKwiz, French-Australian presenter Julia Zemiro is a trained theater actor, too, who has worked with the likes of the Bell Shakespeare Company. She has hosted her own interview show, Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery, and has been on shows such as Thank God You’re Here.

Geoffrey Edelsten was an Australian businessman best remembered for founding Allied Medical Group. A physician by profession, Edelsten attracted media attention for his luxurious lifestyle and unconventional clinics. He also had a brief music career; he owned a record company named Hit Productions in the 1960s. Edelsten's controversial personal life, which involved brushes with the law, overshadowed his professional achievements.

Sir John Eccles was a philosopher and neurophysiologist whose services to physiological research earned him the title of Knight Bachelor in 1958. His work on the synapse earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with Alan Lloyd Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley in 1963. The same year, he also received the Australian of the Year Award.

Pallavi Sharda is an Australian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer. Sharda, who is of Indian origin, has appeared in many Indian films in addition to playing important roles in Australian films. Pallavi Sharda was featured in the 40 most influential Asian Australians list at the first Asian-Australian Leadership Summit in 2019.

Morris West was an Australian writer and playwright who often focused on international politics in his works. He was highly acclaimed as a novelist and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. Before becoming a professional writer, he ran his own radio production company. He was honored with the title of Officer of the Order of Australia.  

Best known for his portrayal of Frank Pickle in the British sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, John Bluthal was a veteran Polish-born Australian comedian and actor. He had an illustrious career in the UK and had appeared in a number of Carry On and Pink Panther movies.

Known for his signature horn-rimmed glasses and his sarcastic sense of humor, Red Symons gained fame as a judge on Red Faces and Australia's Got Talent. The Australian radio and TV personality has also performed as part of Skyhooks and used the pseudonym Red Pinko Sims for many recordings.

Waleed Aly is an Australian writer, lawyer, and TV personality. He completed his International Baccalaureate from Wesley College and furthered his education at the University of Melbourne. Besides pursuing a legal career, he also hosts several popular programs on TV and radio. He is married to  feminist author and academic Susan Carland.

Frank Macfarlane Burnet was an Australian virologist. Best remembered for his contribution to immunology, Burnet won the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for predicting acquired immunological tolerance. Burnet is also credited with developing and popularizing the theory of clonal selection. In 1960, he was also named the Australian of the Year for his contributions to science. 

Australian-born American James P. Gorman had initially studied law and taken up a job at a law firm. The Columbia Business School alumnus then worked for firms such as McKinsey and Merrill Lynch, before serving as the CEO of Morgan Stanley. He also serves the US Federal Reserve Board and other boards.

Born in the Netherlands, author Michel Faber grew up in Australia. He now lives in Scotland, where he has won countless awards, and mostly writes in English. Initially a nurse, Faber later soared to fame with bestsellers such as The Crimson Petal and the White.

Australian disability activist, comedian, and broadcast journalist Stella Young had worked extensively for the ABC. Born with a genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta, or the brittle bone disease, she spent almost her entire life on a wheelchair. She died of an aneurysm at age 32.

Edward Dunlop was an Australian surgeon who was held prisoner by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War. After becoming a prisoner of war, Dunlop flaunted his leadership skills, for which he is remembered today. In 1988, he was included in the 200 Great Australians list.

Andrew Peacock was an Australian politician and diplomat who became the leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions. He studied law at the University of Melbourne and ventured into politics while simultaneously practicing law. He was appointed to cabinet in 1969 and held a variety of portfolios, including that of the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1975 to 1980. 

Ninian Stephen was a prominent Australian judge. He served as the 20th Governor-General of Australia from 1982 to 1989. Prior to this, he had been a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1972 to 1982. He was one of Australia's leading constitutional lawyers. He was also  Australia's first Ambassador for the Environment. 

John Forrest was an Australian politician and explorer. He is best remembered for his service as the first premier of Western Australia from 1890 to 1901. He also served as the Treasurer of Australia on four occasions between 1905 and 1918. A prominent politician, John Forrest also served as the Minister for Defence from 1901 to 1903.