17 Huge Stars You Didn’t Know Started In British & Aussie Soaps

Every actor working in Hollywood had to start somewhere, and a surprising amount of top stars actually found their feet in soap operas.

Whilst a lucky few get their big break by starring in high-profile movies, for many others the road to fame is longer. This route often includes a stint on a soap opera with some of the biggest household names having started out in soaps on both sides of the world. 

There is something about the high pressure environment of working on soaps in both Britain and Australia that fashions sparkling diamonds. Some actors, especially in British soaps, find it hard to make the leap, forever associated with their Eastenders or Corrie alter-ego, but there are a select few that have left the cobbled streets of Weatherfield and the beer-stained carpet of the Queen Vic for lavish red carpet events. Australian soaps have a far greater hit rate of going from Ramsey Street and Summer Bay to blockbuster movies, but how many of them can you remember?

Guy Pearce

Before he was a key player in Hollywood, Guy Pearce began his acting career on Australian soap Neighbours where he played Mike Young. Pearce was part of the soap during the ‘80s and Mike was part of the friendship group of Scott and Charlene, AKA Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue. 

Since then, Pearce has gone on to be nominated for Academy Awards, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes, and has starred in a range of movies. Highlights include Memento, L.A. Confidential, and The Brutalist. Most importantly, Pearce never forgot his three years on Ramsey Street and returned for the soap’s original cancellation storyline, but also hung around after it was saved, giving fans a reconciliation of the relationship between Mike and his teen love, Plain Jane Superbrain.

Stephen Graham

Stephen Graham is one of the finest actors that the UK has to offer. From his work in Netflix sensation Adolescence, to Shane Meadows’ This is England, and the increasingly intense Boiling Point, Graham is a dramatic actor at the top of his game. 

Before he was accepting awards and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood's elite, Graham could be found having heated conversations with Jim McDonald in the Rovers Return in Coronation Street. His role on the show was brief, playing one of Steve McDonald’s drug dealers, but even back in 1999 it was clear the star would go far. 

Nathalie Emmanuel

Nathalie Emmanuel might not have the same name recognition as Guy Pearce and Stephen Graham, but her roles in both Game of Thrones and the Fast and the Furious franchise mean that her face is very recognisable. 

In Game of Thrones she played Daenerys Targaryen's interpreter, Missandei, before joining Dominic Toretto’s family as hacker Ramsey. Before she was riding dragons and sending cars into space, Emmanuel had a far more harrowing time on British soap Hollyoaks where she played Sasha Valentine. During her four years on the soap, Emmanuel had storylines that included binge drinking, heroin addiction, and prostitution. 

Margot Robbie

Australian Margot Robbie is one of the biggest names working in Hollywood today. In 2023 she became an icon when she played Barbie, but her work before that in The Wolf of Wall Street, I, Tonya, and The Suicide Squad had captured audiences attention. True fans of Robbie, however, know that she began her career as Ramsey Street teenager, Donna Freedman. As Donna, Robbie’s natural charisma shone through and she made what was initially meant to be a short stint borderline-irritating character, one that was long-lasting and beloved. 

During her time on the show, Robbie’s character invented the Shruggalero, and was also hit with tragedy, losing her husband Ringo on their wedding day. Eventually Donna got her happy ending as she moved to New York to live out her dream of being a fashion designer. Like Guy Pearce, Robbie has never forgotten the soap that made her and not only did she pop up on a video during Neighbours’ original finale, the star also sent the cast and crew champagne so they could commemorate the soap's end with a final toast.  

Samara Weaving

Another Aussie blonde currently taking Hollywood by storm is Samara Weaving. With roles in Ready or Not, Scream VI, and The Babysitter, Weaving has become a modern day scream queen, and she’s also joining the MCU as Emma Frost in the X-Men reboot. 

It hasn’t always been plain sailing for Weaving, though, as she has spent much of her career being confused with Margot Robbie, something that Babylon director Damien Chazelle capitalised on when he placed the duo together in one of the film’s best scenes. An easy way to differentiate the pair, though, is that while Robbie was in Neighbours, Weaving was on rival Aussie soap Home and Away, playing Indi Walker from 2009 to 2013. 

Leigh Whannell

Before being responsible for writing (and starring in) Saw, and kicking off one of modern horror's longest-running franchises, Leigh Whannell had a two-episode arc on Neighbours. He played low-level criminal Stuart Maughan – a small part, but one involved with the death of a beloved Ramsey Street resident, Cody Willis. 

Craig Fairbrass

Actor Craig Fairbrass is best known to audiences now as hardman Pat Tate in the Rise of the Footsoldier series of movies. Way before that, though, he lived on the square in Eastenders as hardman Dan Sullivan. 

During his time on the soap as Dan, Fairbrass had a heated rivalry with soap mainstay Phil Mitchell and was one of several suspects in the huge ‘Who Shot Phil?’ storyline. Having found a character niche, Fairbrass’ other post-Eastenders credits include Muscle, Villain and London Heist.

Anna Friel

Although exceptionally popular during the ‘80s and ‘90s, in 2003, Channel 4 soap opera Brookside ended. When it was on air, though, it gave us the acting talent that is Anna Friel. In the soap, Friel played Beth Jordache, a character most famous for being involved in the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss in British television history.

Friel was also part of the infamous storyline in which Beth, her mother, and her sister murdered the abusive patriarch of the family and buried him under the patio. Friel later broke America with her turn in TV show Pushing Daisies, before going on to appear in Limitless and indie genre film, The Cleanse. 

Heath Ledger

Before his passing in 2008, Heath Ledger was one of the biggest and most talented actors working. His role as Patrick in 10 Things I Hate About You made him a teen idol, but his work in Brokeback Mountain proved that he could also tackle more serious and drama heavy roles. Then, shortly before his death, he crafted an iconic vision of The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, proving himself as a true chameleon of the acting world. 

Before his catapult to stardom. Ledger had a ten-episode run on Home and Away in which he seduced and claimed the virginity of the popular character, Sally Fletcher. 

Chris Hemsworth

The rule for Australian actors tends to be an appearance on either Home and Away or Neighbours, but sometimes someone manages to tick off both. One such actor is Chris Hemsworth, who had a very short appearance in Neighbours working alongside Steph Scully as a mechanic, before moving to Summer Bay where he played heartthrob Kim Hyde for three years. 

Incidentally, Hemsworth’s two brothers, Liam and Luke, also starred in Neighbours, both of them having more prominent roles. Chris Hemsworth, however, is certainly the most well known of his siblings now, having played Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception, as well as roles in Rush, Cabin in the Woods, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Story. 

Lesley Manville 

Now best recognised for her work in Phantom Thread, Topsy-Turvy, and Secrets & Lies, for those watching Emmerdale, or Emmerdale Farm as it was then named in 1975, Lesley Manville was Rosemary Kendall. The role came right at the start of Manville’s career and her time there certainly taught her everything she needed to know to become one of Mike Leigh’s favourite people to work with, the pair having worked across 11 projects together now.

Isla Fisher

Home and Away fans will never forget Isla Fisher’s time on the soap. Appearing on the series during the ‘90s, Fisher played Shannon, a character who drove a wedge between power couple Angel and Shane. Fans across the world were beside themselves when Shannon’s lies saw them split. Thankfully, this hate has not harmed Fisher’s Hollywood career with her having starred in both Wedding Crashers and Scooby-Doo, before returning to the Now You See Me movies in 2025’s Now You See Me, Now You Don’t. 

Jenna Coleman

Now better known to Whovian’s as playing Clara Oswald in Doctor Who, Jenna Coleman rose to fame on Emmerdale where she played Jasmine Thomas. During her four-year stint on the soap, Coleman had plenty of storylines, but a big early one came when teenage Jasmine found herself in a love triangle with best friend Debbie Dingle and her father, Cain Dingle. Since then, Coleman’s roles have been less intense with her most recently seen in television series The Sandman. 

Naomi Watts

With Mulholland Drive, The Ring, and King Kong among just a handful of impressive credits to her name, it is easy to forget that Naomi Watts got her big break thanks to Home and Away. Her appearance as Julie Gibson was short, but saw Watts play a character whose recent injury had left her in a wheelchair. She had a short-lived romance with Nick Parrish before leaving, with Watts fast becoming a mainstay of Hollywood movies across the spectrum from indie to blockbuster. 

Russell Crowe

In 2001, Russell Crowe won an Academy Award for his role as Maximus in Gladiator. This makes him the first former resident of Ramsey Street to attain the golden statue and just one shining example of how time on a soap is not to be looked down upon. In Neighbours, Crowe played badboy Kenny Larkin across four episodes.

Ricky Tomlinson

Ricky Tomlinson is a national treasure. As Jim in The Royale Family he entered British television history, with the comedy show cherished by viewers of all ages. Before becoming famous for making people laugh, Tomlinson and his on-screen wife, Sue Johnston appeared in Brookside. Tomlinson starred as Bobby Grant with Johnston once more on wife duties as Sheila Grant. 

Alan Dale

Although Alan Dale is not a big name in Hollywood, there is barely a high-file television show that has been made in America since the 2000s that the actor has not starred in. His credits include 24, The OC, Entourage, Ugly Betty and Lost, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

Before he began appearing in every American show going, he played Ramsey Street icon, Jim Robinson. Father of the dastardly Paul Robinson, Jim famously died of a heart attack (a fate that has befallen some of Dale’s American characters too), but did return to the soap briefly in 2019 in a dream vision, imploring his son to change his wicked ways.