# Famous Aussies that an American would know **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444 "2005-05-11T19:30:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/61 "2005-05-12T14:20:08Z")
Can I borrow one? Was supposed to be one after the “Umm… thanks.” Thort I did. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/62 "2005-05-12T14:21:01Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Just don’t try to claim the Finns. Surely they are Aussies. I met them years ago…in Sydney. And saw them perform live together afew months ago…in Sydney. And I may as well chuck in Ben Folds as an Aussie, he lives in Adelaide. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/63 "2005-05-12T14:29:04Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > Surely they are Aussies. I met them years ago…in Sydney. > > And saw them perform live together afew months ago…in Sydney. > > And I may as well chuck in Ben Folds as an Aussie, he lives in Adelaide. See you just need smacking! **TheLoadedDog** is just a Kiwi-in-the-making 😃 ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/64 "2005-05-12T14:39:00Z")
How come famous Kiwis were never asked about? NZers; Split the atom Climbed the highest mountain (Maybe) Had the first flight. Richard Pierce vs the Wright bothers Invented the jetboat Reinvented bungy jumping Had 2 woman PMs, one straight after the other See! Makes Aussies look feeble. All they can do is win at sports 😃 AWW just a wee bit of cross-Tassie heckling 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/65 "2005-05-12T14:47:41Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > How come famous Kiwis were never asked about? > > NZers; > > Split the atom > Climbed the highest mountain > (Maybe) Had the first flight. Richard Pierce vs the Wright bothers > Invented the jetboat > Reinvented bungy jumping > Had 2 woman PMs, one straight after the other > > See! Makes Aussies look feeble. All they can do is win at sports 😃 > > AWW just a wee bit of cross-Tassie heckling 🙂 You ask, and I deliver: [Famous Kiwi thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6151000#post6151000) ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/66 "2005-05-12T14:48:58Z")
Yeah but that was about it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/67 "2005-05-12T14:48:58Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Dammit! I wanted to be the first to mention AC/DC. Nutz. > > There’s also that other band - youthy, angsty, who were they? Oh yeah - Silverchair. They’re Aussies. > > Russell Crowe was born in NZ, his parents moved to Oz when he was three. So I hear. I’d count him Australian. > > Heath Ledger is an Aussie. > > Yvonne Gulagong is an Aussie (tennis player in the 60s and 70s. Won Wimbledon a coupla times). Not sure if a lot of Americans (or me, for that matter) would recognize her, today, really, but such is the sport of tennis. As a kid, I didn’t know crap about Yvonne Gulagong except that she had iron-poor blood. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/68 "2005-05-12T14:50:08Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Yeah but that was about it! 😃 Just claim the Australians, too. I, for one, apparently can’t tell the difference! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/69 "2005-05-12T14:51:26Z")
Here we go. What’s the claim to fame of these Kiwis: Bruce McLaren Sir Harold Gillies Edward Nathan Keith Park William Atack (?spelling) ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/70 "2005-05-12T15:05:22Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > Here we go. What’s the claim to fame of these Kiwis: > > Bruce McLaren > Sir Harold Gillies > Edward Nathan > Keith Park > William Atack (?spelling) Bum! I only know the first, he of Formula One fame. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/71 "2005-05-12T15:08:45Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Bum! I only know the first, he of Formula One fame. Good. Maybe I should have thrown in some more. I’m sure you will find out about them and tell others. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/72 "2005-05-12T15:13:28Z")
Of course. You know us insecure Kiwi types 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/73 "2005-05-12T15:47:16Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > Andrew Bogut (basketball) What about Luc Longley? Who can forget the most valuable player on that great Bulls team? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/74 "2005-05-12T15:50:06Z")
To quote [Dr. Gregory House](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412142/), “If you put the Queen on your money, you’re British.” ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/75 "2005-05-12T15:55:27Z")
If you put dead presidents on your money then you are dead or presidential? ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/76 "2005-05-13T04:38:30Z")
Getting back to Aussies for a minute, some other actors most Americans would know would be Rachel Griffiths from _Six Feet Under_, Hugo Weaving from the _Matrix_ movies and Melissa George _The Amityville Horror_, her latest movie. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/77 "2005-05-13T04:57:39Z")
> [@jastu](#): > > Getting back to Aussies for a minute, some other actors most Americans would know would be Rachel Griffiths from _Six Feet Under_, Hugo Weaving from the _Matrix_ movies and Melissa George _The Amityville Horror_, her latest movie. Although, if Americans know Melissa George, it’s probably for her stint on the TV series “Alias” or, for the sci-fi crowd, her relatively small role as May in “Dark City.” ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/78 "2005-05-13T06:52:36Z")
> [@Rufus Xavier](#): > > Bryan Brown, star of _F/X_ and co-star of _Cocktail_ and _Gorillas in the Mist_. > Also, Jack Thompson, who played Cliegg Lars in _Atttack of the Clones_. Breaker Morant, Thornbirds and Tai Pan. I was an extra on Taipan and met Bryan Brown. Really good, friendly guy. Absolutely horrible movie Taipan ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/79 "2005-05-13T07:02:09Z")
> [@China Guy](#): > > Breaker Morant, Thornbirds and Tai Pan. I was an extra on Taipan and met Bryan Brown. Really good, friendly guy. Absolutely horrible movie Taipan Bryan Brown gave a great interview to the \*Actuary Australia \* magazine a couple of years ago. He started studying as an actuary when he left school but then decided to get into the acting game instead. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444/80 "2005-05-13T09:44:59Z")
George “that never happened to the other fella” Lazenby, aka James Bond in “on Her Majesty;s Secret Service” mm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-aussies-that-an-american-would-know/303444.md?page=3)