The Most Famous

ACTORS from Australia

This page contains a list of the greatest Australian Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 179 of which were born in Australia. This makes Australia the birth place of the 10th most number of Actors behind Germany, and Italy.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Australian Actors of all time. This list of famous Australian Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Australian Actors.

1. Geoffrey Rush (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 68.47, Geoffrey Rush is the most famous Australian Actor. His biography has been translated into 72 different languages on wikipedia.

Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. Known for often playing eccentric roles on both stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Tony Award, making him the only Australian to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, in addition to three BAFTA Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Rush is the founding president of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts and was named the 2012 Australian of the Year. Rush began his professional acting career with the Queensland Theatre Company in 1971. He studied for two years at the L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq starting in 1975. Rush starred in international productions of Waiting for Godot, The Winter's Tale and The Importance of Being Earnest. He made his Broadway debut in the absurdist comedy Exit the King in 2009, where he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance. He received a nomination for Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play for Diary of a Madman in 2011. He gained prominence for his role in Shine (1996), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. His other Oscar-nominated roles were for Shakespeare in Love (1998), Quills (2000), and The King's Speech (2010). Rush gained mainstream popularity for his role as Captain Hector Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (2003–2017). His other notable films include in Elizabeth (1998), Les Misérables (1998), Frida (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), Munich (2005), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) and The Book Thief (2013). Rush is also known for his performances in television receiving Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie nominations for his portrayals of comedian Peter Sellers in the HBO film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), and scientist Albert Einstein in National Geographic anthology series Genius (2017), winning for the former.

2. George Lazenby (b. 1939)

With an HPI of 66.79, George Lazenby is the 2nd most famous Australian Actor. His biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

George Robert Lazenby (; born 5 September 1939) is an Australian retired actor. He was the second actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). Since he appeared in only one film, Lazenby's tenure as Bond is the shortest among the actors in the series. Lazenby began his professional career as a model and had only acted in commercials when he was cast to replace the original Bond actor, Sean Connery. He declined to return for subsequent Bond films and instead pursued roles in Universal Soldier (1971), Who Saw Her Die? (1972), The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss (1974), The Man from Hong Kong (1975), and The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977). After his career stalled in the late 1970s, he moved into business and invested in real estate. Lazenby later appeared in roles that parodied James Bond. In 2017, a Hulu docudrama film, Becoming Bond, featured Lazenby recounting his life story and portrayal of Bond.

3. Cate Blanchett (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 65.85, Cate Blanchett is the 3rd most famous Australian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 104 different languages.

Catherine Élise Blanchett ( BLAN-chit; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and film producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognized for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. Blanchett has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. A graduate of the University of Melbourne and the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Blanchett began her career on the Australian stage. Making her feature film debut in 1997, she came to international prominence for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the period drama Elizabeth (1998), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. Her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in the biopic The Aviator (2004) won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later won the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing a neurotic former socialite in the comedy-drama Blue Jasmine (2013). Blanchett's other Oscar-nominated roles were in Notes on a Scandal (2006), I'm Not There (2007), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Carol (2015), and Tár (2022), making her the most-nominated Australian. Her biggest commercial successes include The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Cinderella (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Ocean's 8 (2018), and Don't Look Up (2021). Blanchett has performed in over twenty stage productions. She and her husband, Andrew Upton, were the artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2013. Some of her stage roles during this period were in revivals of A Streetcar Named Desire, Uncle Vanya, Big and Little and The Maids. She made her Broadway debut in 2017 in The Present, for which she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She has also produced and starred in the miniseries Mrs. America (2020), in which she portrayed Phyllis Schlafly, and Disclaimer (2024); the former earned her two Emmy Award nominations. Blanchett is the recipient of several honorary awards. The Australian government awarded her the Centenary Medal in 2001, and she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2017. In 2012, she was appointed Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. In 2015, she was honoured by the Museum of Modern Art and received the British Film Institute Fellowship. Blanchett has received honorary Doctor of Letters degrees from the University of New South Wales, University of Sydney and Macquarie University. Time named her one of its 100 most influential people in the world in 2007. In 2018, she was ranked among the world's highest-paid actresses.

4. Chris Hemsworth (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 65.35, Chris Hemsworth is the 4th most famous Australian Actor. His biography has been translated into 83 different languages.

Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. He rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series Home and Away (2004–2007) before beginning a film career in Hollywood. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Hemsworth starred as Thor in the 2011 film of the same name and reprised the role in several subsequent installments, which established him among the world's highest-paid actors. His other film roles include the action films Star Trek (2009), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) and its sequel The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016), Red Dawn (2012), Blackhat (2015), Men in Black: International (2019), Extraction (2020) and its 2023 sequel, the thriller A Perfect Getaway (2009) and the comedy Ghostbusters (2016). Hemsworth's most critically acclaimed films include the comedy horror The Cabin in the Woods (2012), the biographical sports film Rush (2013) in which he portrayed James Hunt, and the action film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024).

5. Margot Robbie (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 64.83, Margot Robbie is the 5th most famous Australian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 77 different languages.

Margot Elise Robbie ( MAR-goh ROB-ee; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Her work includes both blockbuster and independent films, and her accolades include nominations for three Academy Awards, six BAFTA Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2017, and Forbes named her the world's highest-paid actress in 2023. Born and raised in Queensland, Robbie began her career in 2008 on the television series Neighbours, on which she was a regular until 2011. After moving to the United States, she led the television series Pan Am (2011–2012) and had her breakthrough in 2013 with Martin Scorsese's black comedy film The Wolf of Wall Street. She achieved wider recognition with starring roles as Jane Porter in The Legend of Tarzan (2016), and as Harley Quinn in the DC Extended Universe films beginning with Suicide Squad (2016). Robbie received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of figure skater Tonya Harding in the biopic I, Tonya (2017). This acclaim continued for her performances as Queen Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of Scots (2018), Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), and a Fox News employee in Bombshell (2019). The last of these earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Robbie has since starred as an aspiring actress in the period film Babylon (2022) and the titular fashion doll in the fantasy comedy Barbie (2023), which emerged as her highest-grossing release and, as its producer, earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Robbie and her husband, filmmaker Tom Ackerley, co-founded the production company LuckyChap Entertainment in 2014, under which they have produced several films, including I, Tonya, Promising Young Woman (2020), Barbie, and Saltburn (2023), as well as the Hulu series Dollface (2019–2022) and the Netflix miniseries Maid (2021).

6. Heath Ledger (1979 - 2008)

With an HPI of 64.17, Heath Ledger is the 6th most famous Australian Actor. His biography has been translated into 96 different languages.

Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film career. His work consisted of 20 films in a variety of genres, including 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Patriot (2000), A Knight's Tale (2001), Monster's Ball (2001), Casanova (2005), Lords of Dogtown (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Candy (2006), I'm Not There (2007), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), the latter two of which were posthumously released. He also produced and directed music videos and aspired to be a film director. For his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, he received nominations for the BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the eighth-youngest nominee in the category at that time. In 2007, he played a fictional actor, Robbie Clark, one of six characters embodying aspects of Bob Dylan's life and persona in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There. Ledger died in January 2008 from an accidental overdose as a result of prescription drug abuse. A few months before his death, he finished filming his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight; the performance brought him praise and popularity, and numerous posthumous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

7. Paul Hogan (b. 1939)

With an HPI of 64.02, Paul Hogan is the 7th most famous Australian Actor. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Paul Hogan (born 8 October 1939) is an Australian actor and comedian. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance as outback adventurer Michael "Crocodile" Dundee in Crocodile Dundee (1986), the first in the Crocodile Dundee film series.

8. Errol Flynn (1909 - 1959)

With an HPI of 63.55, Errol Flynn is the 8th most famous Australian Actor. His biography has been translated into 72 different languages.

Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia de Havilland, and reputation for his womanising and hedonistic personal life. His most notable roles include Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), which was later named by the American Film Institute as the 18th-greatest hero in American film history, the lead role in Captain Blood (1935), Major Geoffrey Vickers in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), and the hero in a number of Westerns such as Dodge City (1939), Santa Fe Trail, Virginia City (both 1940) and San Antonio (1945). Flynn was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion pictures and television industry in 1960.

9. Hugh Jackman (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 63.22, Hugh Jackman is the 9th most famous Australian Actor. His biography has been translated into 94 different languages.

Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor. Beginning in theatre and television, Jackman landed his breakthrough role as Wolverine in the X-Men film franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe from X-Men (2000) to Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). Prominent on both screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Grammy Award and two Tony Awards, along with nominations for an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award. Jackman was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2019. Jackman has headlined films in various genres, including the romantic comedy Kate & Leopold (2001), the action-horror Van Helsing (2004), the drama The Prestige (2006), the period romance Australia (2008), the science fiction Real Steel (2011), the musical Les Misérables (2012), the thriller Prisoners (2013), the musical The Greatest Showman (2017), the political drama The Front Runner (2018), and the crime drama Bad Education (2019). For his role as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, and for The Greatest Showman soundtrack, Jackman received a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack. He also provided voice roles in the animated films Flushed Away, Happy Feet (both 2006), and Rise of the Guardians (2012). Jackman is also known for his early theatre roles in the original Australian productions of Beauty and the Beast as Gaston in 1995 and Sunset Boulevard as Joe Gillis in 1996. He earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for his performance as Curly McLain in the West End revival of Oklahoma! in 1998. In 2002, he made his American stage debut in a concert of Carousel as Billy Bigelow at Carnegie Hall. On Broadway, he won the 2004 Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role of Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz. From 2021 to 2023, Jackman starred as con man Harold Hill in the Broadway revival of the musical The Music Man, earning another Tony Award nomination. A four-time host of the Tony Awards, he won an Emmy Award for hosting the 2005 ceremony. He also hosted the 81st Academy Awards in 2009.

10. Lionel Logue (1880 - 1953)

With an HPI of 60.79, Lionel Logue is the 10th most famous Australian Actor. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Lionel George Logue (26 February 1880 – 12 April 1953) was an Australian speech and language therapist and amateur stage actor who helped King George VI manage his stammer.

People

Pantheon has 203 people classified as Australian actors born between 1858 and 2004. Of these 203, 183 (90.15%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Australian actors include Geoffrey Rush, George Lazenby, and Cate Blanchett. The most famous deceased Australian actors include Heath Ledger, Errol Flynn, and Lionel Logue. As of April 2024, 24 new Australian actors have been added to Pantheon including Richard Norton, Coral Browne, and Murray Bartlett.