The 101 Best Australian Actors/Actresses

The top actress to come out of Australia. She was nominated for Best Actress for Elizabeth and then won Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator, then won again in Blue Jasmine. Like Hugo Weaving a lil further down, she has a huge range and even played Bob Dylan in Im Not There. Continues to command roles from every angle. The Sky is the limit

The man who starred in Time Machine, ahem, i mean Memento, LA Confidential and aussie darlings Priscilla: Queen of the Desert and Animal Kingdom. Pearce has recently found a niche playing supporting roles in Hollywood and like many others, regularly returning to his roots. As mentioned above he has appeared in some great films, but he shows up in plenty more films and always performs well

Fantastic Actress with range, Toni Collette is sometimes so good that you start thinking she is who she portrays on screen. After appearing in the 2000 remake of Shaft, Collette had been getting steady work in TV, Hollywood and down under too, collecting a few awards along the way. In recent years she appeared in Hereditary and Knives Out confirming a top 3 position on this list. Nightmare Alley is next...

Who can forget that magnificent and chilling performance Ledger gave as The Joker in Christopher Nolans widely successful The Dark Knight, he even won a posthumous Oscar for it. But Heath Ledger gave us more than just that earning accolades in Brokeback Mountain and Monsters Ball, while numerous hollywood films made him a popular figure

Broadway star, former Oscar host and Hollywood leading man Hugh Jackman is without doubt one of the more recognisable faces in film today. Probably known best for his character: Wolverine. Rugged handsome looks have landed him in more than a few romantic films but proves himself time and time again with notable starring roles in The Prestige, Les Miserables and Prisoners. Whats exciting is that we are still due for more and perhaps his (real) career defining role

This guy is really among the elite in Hollywood, his is one of the top actors right now, and has been for at least 2 decades. He was nominated 3 times for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, winning once for Gladiator.

Can play good and bad, small or big. Weaving is a wonderfully versatile actor who wowed audiences in The Matrix as Agent Smith. since then he's played V in V for Vendetta and Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

One of the many rising stars in Hollywood from down under. Edgerton has starred in many Aussie movies but 2012 looks to be a breakout year for him after 2011's Warrior and Animal Kingdom. Continues to work hard, though the question remains, could he win an Oscar?

The last few years may have been slow for her, thats why she misses out on a top 10 spot, but with credits like Dead Calm, Eyes Wide Shut and The Hours, theres no doubt she is a superstar. Im tipping a mini comeback in the next couple of years. Comeback complete, back in top 10.

Thor? No, it was Rush when he starred alongside Daniel Bruhl which has him on the list, could be higher and im sure he will never stop improving

What? You haven't heard of Margot Robbie? You must have been living under a rock. Perhaps Uluru even. Since i wrote last Robbie has rocketed into top 20 territory, an amazing rise to fame

Yes its that guy, a small surprise to have him this low or even on the list, well check out his recent filmography and you see he's broken into hollywood. Vastly under-rated actor who stamped his ground in Animal Kingdom

Geoffry Rush rose to fame after his terrific performance in Shine, where he won an Oscar. Since then he has appeared in many more great films and has earned 2 more Best Supporting Actor nominations the last for The Kings Speech. Like many aussies, he continues to appear in Australian productions. Did you know Rush is a talented pianist- even before his role in Shine?! A true talent.

Arguably the most versatile actor on this list, Bana has carved out a nice career for himself which took off after the critical acclaim of Chopper. He can play serious, comic, action star or villian and with still lots to prove i wouldn't be surprised if he won many awards in the future. Went back to his roots in 2020 starring in the best selling book adaptation; The Dry

A rising star, Bryne has got some nice credits on her resume after some solid work in Sunshine, Get Him to the Greek and Bridesmaids. Keep an eye on this girl. Also, quite funny!

Wonderful actress, who knows how good she can get?

The talented and perhaps under-rated Wenham has slowly but surely been gaining momentum until recently. Id like to see him back in big films like 300 or raw gems like Gettin' Square

This guy started off with humble beginnings, but has since proven his worth. Another candidate for cracking the top 20 someday. And he just did

Hailing from Western Australia, Worthington first appeared in Hollywood after Terminator Salvation. Not long after came the biggest movie of all time, Avatar, which he starred in. At the moment he is more of an action star but this guy will stick around long enough to try out his range

Friels is genuine thespian, just check out his resume

One of the first of the Aussies to crack Hollywood, and still a massive talent. Now suffers from kidney failure but is still active

Likely it is that you remember him from 1976 hit: Network, what a performance it was to cap off a remarkable career. Was lured by Lawrence Olivier to return to England after honing his craft down under

Once upon a time in the top 5

The King, more of a presenter than actor but would do wonders if alive today

Just never stops, she is at the peak of her powers right now

2015 is a very good year for him appearing in Everest, Child 44, Terminator Genisys and Knight of Cups. Bound for the top 12. Though that may have to wait now, he's been taking on more and more bigger roles in lesser movies.

Was on the cusp of really breaking in to the A-list at Hollywood after appearances in Moulin Rouge, Mission Impossible 2 and Van Helsing. Perhaps there will be a return to the big screen soon

Star of 'The Mentalist', id like to see him back on the big screen

Iconic Australian, he's been among some of the biggest ever names. Leading man in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and co-starring with John Wayne in The Train Robbers. Sadly passed away in early 2015

Perhaps the first Aussie to break into Hollywood, with his energy and handsome looks, he was destined for stardom.

Landing big parts in Presumed Innocent, The Player and The Red Violin- Scacchi became an Australian citizen in 1995. Flew under the radar for a long time

Rising star, only a matter of time before he headlines a blockbuster

Very seasoned and talented actress

One to look out for over the coming years, shes hot property in

Used to hold the No. 1 spot back in the 80s, but has since not been seen as often. Still a class act

Born in England but you know it, he's Aussie through and through

Very talented actress

Sadly passed away in recent years, but worked right to the end. A treasured actor

What a rise for such a wonderful talent! Rice has beamed onto the world stage, becoming such a recognizable face so quick it is amazing. Top 25, less than 3 years is my tip

Very versatile, though best in comedy

He is in the top 50 for a reason, excellent actor

After almost 20 years of television, Torv may just be hitting her stride, she appears in the making of big game adaptation: The Last of Us in 2022

I wish he was more active, but when he is on song, pure gold

Pipping many other great talents is a talent himself, Anthony LaPaglia. After moving to the US early in his career, he landed many supporting parts in Hollwood before he took some bigger roles in Australia such as Lantana and The Bank. In 2002 he got the role Jack Malone in Without a Trace that went on until 2009. I hope he keeps up his excellent support work in movies like The Salton Sea

Unknown outside of Australia, David Field is a quality actor. He has appeared in lots of TV but also in plenty of Australian movies like Two Hands with Bryan Brown and Heath Ledger. After many years without a hit, he was cast in Mortal Kombat

Terrific actor

Dont get it twisted, the girl is the real deal

You call that a knife?

Known best down under for Muriel's Wedding, this girl is still working hard.

Grease Lightnin'!!

Very well may crack top 20 one day...one decade. Has been working mainly down under recently, have faith, is the 2020's the decade where he finally gets to shine?

Television was his game, but recently was seen in the Mad Max: Fury Road

With comedic talents and a knack for writing, we are bound to see more of this guy

Famous for Wolf Creek, though a hard worker none the less

Another one of those Aussies who was born in that little country nearby. Bruce Spence is probably most seen in The Lord of the Rings as the mouth of Sauron though he has a actually has a massive filmography going from Mad Max 2 to The Dry (2020)

So, umm, you seen that movie The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King? Yeah, he is Denethor

He's not done yet, probably will leapfrog some ahead on this list

Lovable aussie, really want to see more of him. Edit: More on the big screen- not on silly once off tv shows, he's becoming a presenter.

After appearing in Animal Kingdom in a star studded Australian film, he has broken into hollywood headlining the sequel to 300, both films being surprise successes

With some recent additions to his resume including The Power of the Dog and Elvis, Smit-McPhee is rising to top 50 territory. The top 10 is an actual target for this young man

Well known for her role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a sound actress and continues to appear in Film and TV

A very funny woman, Fisher is best in comedy and stands well above her peers when in her niche.

Aka Dame Edna

If you haven't seen The Castle yet, go watch it. NOW! But Caton has been around a long time, just click the link

A star from the hit show; Succession, i think we are due for more excellent acting from Snook, sooner or later

One to watch over the next few years. Now, free from his marriage to Miley Cyrus, will he actually take the next step?

From the hit TV show: Stranger Things, i expect bigger things from DM. Was recently seen in Baz Luhrman's Elvis.

As imdb.com alluded to, this guy is on the upward path. Keen to see what's next

The oldest and shortest Hemsworth snagged a role in one of TV's biggest shows; Westworld. Congrats to him and hope he keeps the top work up!

Famous for more than one thing, Portia de Rossi is one of the members of the family in the hit TV show Arrested Development, which she excels in.

Most recently seen in the TV version of The Mosquito Coast with Justin Theroux. A fine actress who is yet to deliver her career role on the big screen

Known for those car ads, he's actually a really good actor

Typical aussie (like the name!) from back in the day

Unheralded but no doubt a class act

Not only an actor, but has recently had credits for writing. Been around a long time

A full time Brit as of 2013, Margolyes became an Aussie that year.

Steadily building a decent resume since starring in 2007's Lockie Lenard, has a role in Jane Campions 2021 film: The Power of the Dog