Here’s some of the Home and Away alumni that now appear on television and in movies in the United States.

Chris Hemsworth

If Chris Hemsworth’s name isn’t familiar, his good looks might be better known: most recently he played the role of James T. Kirk’s father, George Kirk, in J. J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek and also appeared in the thriller A Perfect Getaway.

Hemsworth played the role of Kim Hyde on Home and Away from 2004 to 2007, and will star in upcoming horror film The Cabin in the Woods (executive produced by Joss Whedon0 and will portray Jed Eckert in the upcoming Red Dawn remake.

Guy Pearce

Making his TV debut in Australian soap Neighbors, Guy Pearce played the role of David Croft on Home and Away from 1991-1992.

His first major film was as a drag queen in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994. Since then, he has appeared in L.A. Confidential, Ravenous, Rules of Engagement, Memento, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Time Machine. Pearce recently portrayed pop artist Andy Warhol in Factory Girl and Harry Houdini in Death Defying Acts.

Heath Ledger

Ledger started as Scott Irwin on Home and Away in 1997 before going on to film his break out role in 10 Things I Hate About You in 1999. After his sad death in 2008, Ledger won a best supporting actor oscar for his role in the Dark Knight.

Isla Fisher

From 1994 to 1997 Isla Fisher played the role of Shannon Reed on Home and Away. After finishing with the show, she headed overseas and performed on stage in London before landing the role of Mary-Jane in the Scooby Doo movie. Her role in Wedding Crashers, alongside Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson won her the Breakthrough Performance Award at the MTV Movie Awards, and was followed by a range of roles that ultimately lead her to star in the movie adaption of the book Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Isabel Lucas

Lucas played the role of Tasha Andrews on Home and Away from 2003–2006 before heading across the Pacific for bigger and better things. Last seen on the big screen in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, interest in Lucas continues to grow. She also appears in a lead role in the forthcoming Spielberg mini-series The Pacific.

Julian McMahon

The son of former Australian Prime Minister William McMahon, Julian played the role of Ben Lucini on Home and Away from 1990–1991.

A popular actor on American TV, Julian McMahon best known for his portrayals of Cole Turner in The WB hit series Charmed, womanizing plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck, and Doctor Doom/Victor Von Doom in Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Melissa George

After a stint modeling as a teenager, Melissa George appeared played Angel Parrish on Home and Away between 1993-1996.

After small roles in Dark City, The Limey, Mulholland Drive and Down with Love she starred in the series Charmed for the sixth season premiere. George achieved a significant breakthrough in 2003 when she landed the role of Lauren Reed on the ABC series Alias. Appearing in The Amityville Horror, she went on to appear in a number of movies before appearing in Grey’s Anatomy for 11 episodes as Sadie Harris.

Ryan Kwanten

Ryan Kwanten played lifeguard Vinnie Patterson on Home and Away from 1997-2002, before playing Jay Robertson in the Lori Loughlin-starring series Summerland from 2004-2005. Kwanten currently plays the role of Jason Stackhouse in True Blood.

Tammin Sursok

Tammin Sursok started her career playing Dani Sutherland on Home and Away from 2000-2004. After a failed attempt at a singing career, Tammin headed State side where she landed the role of Colleen Carlton on The Young and The Restless in 2007.

Other notable actors/ actresses to appear on Home and Away

Simon Baker: a brief role as James Healey in 1994

Naomi Watts: a brief role as Julie Gibson on Home and Away in 1991

Kristy Wright: Chloe Richards from 1995-1999. Appeared on Beastmaster as a ninja warrior

Justin Melvey: played Harry Keller Reynolds from 1999-2001. Went on to play Dr. Colin Murphy on Days of our Lives from 2001-2004.

Jason Smith: played Robbie Hunter from 2003-2007. Played Casey, the Red Ranger, in Power Rangers: Jungle Fury, a role than won him the 2005 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for “Fave Tv Star” & “Fave Pash”

Nine Home and Away actors who went on to stardom is a post from: The Inquisitr

When most people think of Australian actresses and actors in Hollywood, they usually think of the obvious ones: Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, and even Russel Crowe (who’s actually from New Zealand.) But the presence of Australian actresses in the United States is far broader again.

Australian actresses have lead or major roles in a range of American television programs and movies, but they aren’t always obvious, because most adopt American accents.

Here’s a list of seven actresses you might not know are Australian (well, presuming you’re not reading this from Australia.)

Anna Torv (Fringe)

31 year old Anna Torv was born in Melbourne, and grew up on the Gold Coast (Queensland.) A graduate of Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Torv made her TV debut in the Australian TV series White Collar Blue, before landing a regular spot on Australian soap The Secret Life of Us. Her selection to play the role of Olivia Dunham on Fringe was considered surprising at the time given her relative lack of experience, however neither Torv, nor the show has ever looked back.

Notably, John Noble, who plays Walter Bishop on the show, is also Australian.

Yvonne Strzechowski (Chuck)

26 year old Yvonne Strzechowski was born in Sydney, and had only light acting experience before Chuck. A graduate of the University of Western Sydney’s Theatre Nepean, she had a number of minor roles on Australian television, before heading the States to try her luck.

Here’s a clip about her audition for Chuck, including Strzechowski speaking without an American accent:

Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace)

36 year old Poppy Montgomery was born in Sydney, and moved to the United States at the age of 18. Montgmorey came into prominence with her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in the 2001 CBS mini-series Blonde, before landing the role of Samantha Spade in Without a Trace.

Melissa George (various)

32 year old Melissa George was born in Perth, Western Australia. Well known in Australia for her long running role on soap Home and Away, George moved to the United States in 1998, where she landed minor roles in movies including Dark City, The Limey, Mulholland Drive and Down with Love.

Her first big breakthrough was playing the role of Lauren Reed on the ABC series Alias in 2003. She’s since started or co-stared in a variety of movies, including The Amityville Horror.

Rose Byrne (Damages)

29 year old Rose Byrne was born in Sydney. Byrne made her television debut in 1995 in Australian soap Echo Point, before taking on a number of smaller roles as she developed her acting skills. Her first movie role was as Dormé, the handmaiden to Natalie Portman’s Senator Padmé Amidala, in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

After working her way up the ranks, Byrne has appeared in numerous films, and has been playing one of the leading characters in the TV series Damages.

Miranda Otto (various)

41 year old Miranda Otto was born in Brisbane, and is the daughter of well known actor (in Australia) Barry Otto. Unlike many of her fellow Australian’s, Otto started her career in movies, rising quickly to become a popular lead actress in Australian films.

Her break through role internationally was playing Éowyn, a shieldmaiden of Rohan, in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy starting in 1999. Her first major Hollywood appearance was opposite Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer in the suspense thriller What Lies Beneath in 2000. She also appeared in the TV series Cashmere Mafia, and opposite Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds.

Otto has not vigorously pursued a Hollywood career, dividing her time between productions in the United States, the UK, and Australia, including theater work.

Isla Fisher (various)

33 year old Isla Fisher was born in Oman, but moved to Perth Western Australia at the age of six, and is an Australian citizen. Fisher wrote two best selling novels at the age of 18, before landing a role on Australian soap Home and Away.

Her breakthrough role came in 2002 when she played Mary-Jane, Shaggy’s love interest, in the Scooby-Do movie. In 2005, she won the Breakthrough Performance Award at the MTV Movie Awards for her role in Wedding Crashers, and has more recently starred in Confessions of a Shopaholic. She’s also engaged to Borat and Bruno actor Sacha Baron Cohen.

Here’s a David Letterman interview where Fisher’s accent came up:

Notable others (some well known as being Australia)

Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters)
Emilie de Ravin (Lost)
Frances O’Connor (Cashmere Mafia, others)
Toni Collette (United States of Tara)
Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Samantha Noble (Gabriel)
Dichen Lachman (Dollhouse)

Seven actresses you might not know are Australian is a post from: The Inquisitr