14 Famous People You Probably Didn't Realise Are From Brisbane, Australia

Love seeing Brisbane carry the entirety of Australia's music industry.

1. Courtney Act

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Before Courtney Act made it big as the first Australian to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race, she was growing up in Sandgate and training at the Fame Theatre Company in Albion after school. Now she’s one of the most successful drag queens in the world since winning UK Celebrity Big Brother, hosting her own reality dating show The Bi Life and becoming part of the first ever same-sex couple on Dancing with the Stars.

It’s wild to think that back in the '90s you might have seen her boppin’ about on stage at the Strathpine, Toombul or Chermside shopping centres.

2. The Veronicas

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What a lovely segue, because you know who else ALSO attended the Fame Theatre Company after school and were besties with baby Courtney Act? The Veronicas! Jessica and Lisa Origliasso grew up in Albany Creek and spent their childhoods singing and dancing. They’ve blessed us with absolute bangers like "Untouched" and "Hook Me Up", won a swag of Aria Awards and are about to premiere their reality show on MTV, cementing their status as one of Australia’s most successful musical acts.

3. Josh Thomas

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Yep, one of Australia’s most popular comedians is a former Brisbane boy. Born in Central Queensland, Josh soon moved to Brisbane and grew up in the suburbs of Chapel Hill and Westlake before graduating from Kenmore State High School. After taking the comedy scene by storm early in his career, he’s gone on to co-write and star in Please Like Me, a semi-biographical series based on Josh’s life, which is now streaming on Netflix. 2020 is set to be big, with his new show Everything’s Gonna Be Okay coming to Hulu in January.

4. Ashleigh Barty

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Alright, Ash is actually from Ipswich which is JUST out of Brisbane’s reach, but since she started swinging her racket at the tender age of four at the West Brisbane Tennis Centre, we’re fully claiming her as our own! She’s had an absolute ripper of a year by becoming the women’s WORLD NUMBER 1 and taking home over a whopping $11 million dollars in prize money just in 2019! But what’s more impressive is how down to earth and humble the 23-year-old remains to be. We are well and truly on board with the Barty party!

5. Claire Holt

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If Brisbane’s the oyster then Claire Holt’s the pearl, because she’s no ordinary girl. Before she gained over 5 million followers from starring in a string of hit shows like The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Pretty Little Liars, she was capturing our hearts as Emma the mermaid in H2O: Just Add Water. But before all of THAT she was a Brisbane girl growing up in the western suburb of Toowong and attending Stuartholme College.

6. Kate Miller-Heidke

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Fans of Australian music will need no introduction to the opera-pop powerhouse that is Kate Miller-Heidke. Kate was born in Gladstone but grew up in Brisbane before attending the prestigious Queensland Conservatorium of Music. More recently she beat out a bunch of Australian performers, like Courtney Act and Sheppard, to represent the country at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in Israel with her hit “Zero Gravity”. Yes, she can literally sing opera while swinging around on a giant pole IN A GOWN.

7. Kyle Sandilands

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Radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands is also a fellow Brisbanite as he grew up in the bayside suburb of Wynnum. Kyle has had his fair share of controversies throughout this career, but most recently him and co-host Jackie O made history by signing a contract with KIIS FM that will see them take home almost $8 million dollars PER YEAR until 2024. To break it down, that’s $39,000 each morning. Anyone else wanna become a radio host now?

8. Sophie Monk

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Alright, Sophie Monk wasn’t born in Brisbane (or even Australia for that matter), instead she was born in London, England and moved to Queensland’s sunny Gold Coast when she was 2 years old. BUT she did attend MacGregor State High School in Brisbane’s south east where she graduated as SCHOOL CAPTAIN. What can’t she do?

9. Jacob Elordi

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Before Jacob Elordi was the star of Netflix’s The Kissing Booth he was a student at St Joseph’s Nudgee College on Brisbane’s northside. The Wavell Heights local has shot even further to fame as he stars alongside Zendaya in the hugely successful HBO series Euphoria.

10. Matt Okine

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Not only is Matt Okine a comedian, actor, musician and writer (where does he get the energy?!), but he also grew up in the western suburb of Toowong and continues to incorpoate his hometown into his work. The Other Guy star’s new book, Being Black ‘N Chicken, & Chips, is based on his childhood and has confirmed its fictional setting of Brindlewood is absolutely Brisbane. Plus, he’s got Brissy in mind for its potential film adaption!

11. Thelma Plum

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Singer songwriter Thelma Plum was born in Brissy and spent her childhood between here and the small town of Delungra in northern New South Wales on her grandparents farm. She won Triple J's National Indigenous Music Awards competition in 2012 and in 2019 was nominated for six Aria Awards, including Best Female Artist and Album of the Year for Better in Blak.

12. Mallrat

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Grace Shaw, known by her stage name of Mallrat, began writing music as a student at Clayfield College on Brisbane’s northside. Since graduating, the 21-year-old has wasted no time in making her mark on the Australian music scene. She’s released three EPs — Uninvited, In the Sky and Driving Music — came in at number seven on Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown, has toured internationally and is about to embark on her headline tour around the country.

13. Savage Garden

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Bandmates Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones formed Savage Garden in Logan south of Brisbane before going on to become one of the countries most successful musical acts. Hits like "To The Moon And Back", "I Want You" and "Truly, Madly Deeply" saw them achieve success both here and internationally. In 1997 they won a record number of Arias, taking home 10 awards for their debut, self-titled album.

14. Cub Sport

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If you’re a TRUE fan of Cub Sport and watch their Instagram stories you’d know they’re proud Brisbanites and have lovingly dubbed their hometown "the city of angels" — and we couldn’t be prouder of their success! Frontmen Tim Nelsson and Sam “Bolan” Netterfield met at Northside Christian College before forming their current quartet with bandmates Zoe Davis and Dan Puusaari. They regularly collaborate with fellow Brisbane musicians too, with Mallrat featuring on their track "Video" and Savage Garden’s Darren Hayes for their hit "I’ve Never Cried So Much In My Whole Life".