Top 10 Australian Actors and Actresses Who Have Made an Impact on Hollywood

Over the past few decades a steady stream of Australian actors and actresses have contributed greatly to many a Hollywood film, at times lending their name to some of the most financially successful movies of the past few years while picking up a fair share of awards along the way. To honor their contribution to the film industry, here then is my list of the top 10 Australian Actors and Actresses who made an impact on Hollywood.

Mel Gibson:
Though he was born in Peekskill New York in 1956, to an Australian mother, Mel Gibson spent most of his formative years in Australia (his family moved there in 1968), studying at the University of New South Wales, and performing at the National Institute of the Performing Arts. Hitting it big in the low budget movie Mad Max in 1979, Gibson has gone on to become one of Hollywood's biggest name actor and director, commanding at times a salary in excess of $25 million per picture. As a director, Gibson won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the 1995 epic, Braveheart.

Nicole Kidman: Like Gibson, Kidman was born in the US (Hawaii in 1967) to Australian parents. Her family moved back to Australia when she was four, and Kidman learned her craft at Victorian College of the Arts and the Phillip Street Theater in Sydney. Already an established actress in Australia, Kidman first gained noticed in Hollywood for her roles in Days of Thunder (1990) and Far and Away (1992), Since then Nicole has gone on to win an Academy Award in 2002 for her role in The Hours (2002), and has added several Golden Globe Awards over the years as well. She paid homage to her homeland by starting in Australia (2008) the second highest grossing Australian film of all-time.

Hugh Jackman:

Though he is best known for his roles in action movies like X-men, Wolverine, and Van Helsing, as well as for the good looks that led to him being named People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive in 2008," Hugh Jackman is also a Tony Award winning actor who can sing and dance as well as act. Born on October 12, 1968 in Sydney, Jackman graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth Western Australia. His Tony Award came in 2004 for his role in the Broadway production of The Boy from Oz.

Russell Crowe:

A New Zealander by birth, Crowe is a naturalized Australian citizen, who had a successful acting career in Australia prior to coming to Hollywood in the late 90's. Perhaps at his peak between 1999-2001 when he earned three Academy Award nominations for, The Insider (1999), Gladiator (2000), and A Beautiful Mind (2001), Crowe took home an Academy Award in 2000. Next for the versatile is the lead role in the movie Robin Hood which is currently in post-production.

Heath Ledger:

Born in Perth Western Australia on April 4^th of 1979, Ledger acted in both television and film in his native land before embarking on a Hollywood career. Though his career was tragically cut short by an accidental death at 28, Ledger nevertheless left his mark in Hollywood with roles in such films as 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot, Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. For his role as the Joker in TheDark Knight, Ledger would win a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Cate Blanchett

Born in Melbourne in 1969, Cate Blanchett is an accomplished award winning actress who has an Academy Award and two Golden Globes to her name. Her Academy Award came for her portrayal of Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn in the 2004 release of The Aviator. A versatile actress who is equally at home in period pieces like Elizabeth or Sci-Fi epics like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Blanchett will play Maid Marian in the upcoming release of Robin Hood.

Eric Bana

Born Eric Banadinovic in Melbourne Australia, Eric Bana was already an accomplished actor in his native land before finding success in Hollywood playing lead roles in movies like Hulk (2003), and Munich (2005), as well as supporting roles in films like Troy (2004) and Star Trek (2009). Despite his success state's side, Bana has not forgotten his Australian roots, capturing the 2007 Australian Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his part in Romulus, My Father.

Geoffrey Rush

Though perhaps not as widely known as his peers, Geoffery Rush is nevertheless one of the most accomplished actors to hail from Australia, having won an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Tony, and a Golden Globe Award for his work state side. Perhaps best known for his work in period pieces, the talented actor has appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (Captain Barbosa), Elizabeth, Elizabeth: the Golden Age, Les Miserables, Quills and Shakespeare in Love.

Sam Worthington

A current actor whose star is definitely on the rise, Perth raised Sam Worthington has had definitive roles in the 2009 Hollywood Blockbusters Terminator Salvation, and Avatar. Next up for Worthington will also be playing the lead role of Perseus in this year's re-make of Clash of the Titans. After that the talented actor will tackle the role of Dracula in Dracula Year Zero.

Naomi Watts

British born but Australian raised, Naomi Watts has started in her share of Hollywood movies.

Though she is probably best known for the role of Ana Darrow in the 2005 epic King Kong, and the financially successful The Ring movies, Watts earned an Academy Award nomination for her work in 21 Grams. Sometimes dubbed the queen of remakes, Naomi will soon be starting in a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, The Birds.

Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000154/bio

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/3833405/Hugh-Jackman-X-appeal.html

http://www.filmreference.com/film/25/Russell-Crowe.html

http://movies.msn.com/movies/hitlist/10-23-07_4/?gt1=7701

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/06/2112084.htm

http://clash-of-the-titans.warnerbros.com/

http://www.flixster.com/actor/cate-blanchett

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http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0051509/bio