Celebrities Down Under Quiz / Test | Celebrities Mixture

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Born in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1969. This actress earned her first Academy Award nomination (for Best Actress) for her role as Elizabeth I in the movie "Elizabeth". She also played Galadriel in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogies.

Answer: Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett earned her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2004 for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator". She won her second Oscar in the category of Best Actress in 2013 for "Blue Jasmine", a Woody Allen film.

In 2017, she was made a Companion of the Order of Australia by the Queen for her services to the arts and humanitarian causes.

2. Born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1959, of Dutch-Italian heritage. This actor is well-known in both television and movies. He played FBI agent Jack Malone in "Without a Trace".

Answer: Anthony La Paglia

Anthony La Paglia's list of television and film credits is extensive. He usually plays "tough guy" roles. He was the original choice to play Tony Soprano in "The Sopranos" but he turned it down.

My favourite of his roles is his hilarious portrayal of Simon Moon, Daphne's obnoxious free-loading brother, in the television series "Frasier".

3. Born in 1979 in Perth, Western Australia. This actor's promising career was cut short at the age of 28 when he died of an overdose of prescription medication.

Answer: Heath Ledger

In the relatively short time Heath Ledger was working in Hollywood, he starred in an impressive list of successful movies, including "Ten Things I Hate About You", "The Patriot", "A Knight's Tale", "Brokeback Mountain", "The Dark Knight" and "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" -- the last two movies were released posthumously after he died in January 2008.

Heath Ledger won an Academy Award for Best Actor for "Brokeback Mountain" in 2005 and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (posthumously) for his role as The Joker in "Dark Night" in 2008. He was only the second person to win a posthumous Academy Award for acting - interestingly, the first person was also an Australian -- Peter Finch in 1977 for "Network".

4. Born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1968. Some of this actor's memorable roles include Wolverine, Van Helsing, and Jean Valjean (in "Les Miserables").

Answer: Hugh Jackman

For his role as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables", Jackman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor (Motion Picture Musical or Comedy) and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He portrayed the circus owner P.T. Barnum in the movie "The Greatest Showman" and fellow Australian Peter Allen in "The Boy From Oz" on Broadway.

"People" magazine named him as the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2008.

5. Born on Honolulu, in 1967, while her Australian parents were temporarily living in Hawaii on student visas. She received Academy Award nominations for "Moulin Rouge", "The Hours", "Rabbit Hole" and "Lion".

Answer: Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2003 for "The Hours", in which she portrayed the author, Virginia Woolf, thereby becoming the first Australian actress to win this award. Nicole Kidman had to wear a prosthetic nose for this role. She found that the paparazzi did not recognise her when she wore it and that it provided her with some relief from unwanted media attention.

She began her career at the age of 16 with the Australian movie, "Bush Christmas" and has appeared in many popular movies, including "Far and Away", "Batman Forever", "Bewitched", and "Practical Magic".

6. Born in Launceston, Tasmania in 1969. He played the titular roles of Patrick Jane in "The Mentalist" and Nick Fallin in "The Guardian".

Answer: Simon Baker

Simon Baker has enjoyed success in both movies and television. He starred in three popular Australian soap operas - "E Street", "Home and Away", and "Heartbreak High", as well as movies such as "LA Confidential" and "The Devil Wears Prada".

In "The Guardian", he stars as Nick Fallin, a corporate lawyer who has been sentenced to community service as a court-appointed guardian for a drug-related conviction.

In "The Mentalist", he plays the role of Patrick Jane, a conman/"psychic medium" who becomes an independent consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation. Rather than having psychic ability, he uses his exceptional skills of observation and being able to "read" people to help solve crimes.

7. Although he jokingly claims he was born in Lightning Ridge, he was really born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1939. He was working as a rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge when he got his start in show business by appearing on an amateur talent show.

Answer: Paul Hogan

Paul Hogan applied to go on the amateur talent programme, "New Faces", by claiming he was a "tap-dancing knife-thrower" from Lightning Ridge. He could neither tap dance nor throw knives (well, not competently), a somewhat bizarre claim which he hoped would achieve his goal of getting on the programme -- and it did. He wasn't interested in competing -- in reality, he wanted an opportunity to ridicule the judges in the way they had ridiculed some of the contestants who had appeared on the programme.

The audience loved him and his appearance led to a new career as a television comedian with his own show. He rose to international prominence when he appeared in the movie, "Crocodile Dundee", which he also co-wrote and produced. According to IMDB, it was the second-biggest box office hit of 1986.

8. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1909. This actor made a career of "swashbuckling" roles and had a well-deserved reputation as a womaniser. His autobiography was entitled "My Wicked, Wicked Ways".

Answer: Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn was as famous for his off-screen life as he was for his on-screen roles. He has been immortalised in popular culture in the expression "In like Flynn", referring to the ease with which he seduced women. Although there is some dispute that the expression originally related to him, Errol Flynn liked the phrase and wanted to title his autobiography, "In Like Me", but the publishers insisted on "My Wicked, Wicked Ways".

Nowadays, the expression "In like Flynn" is used to indicate that someone has gained access or achieved a goal quickly and easily.

9. Born in 1934 in Melbourne, Victoria. This actor/comedian is most well-known for his female alter ego, Dame Edna Everage.

Answer: Barry Humphries

Dame Edna Everage is a character created and portrayed by Barry Humphries. Dame Edna is instantly recognisable by "her" purple hair and flamboyant glasses, as well as mannerisms such as calling people "Possum". Humphries created the character of Edna Everage, an ordinary Australian housewife, in 1956 in order to satirize people of his parents' generation. The character has evolved over the decades and in 1974 was made a "Dame" in a spontaneous gesture by the (then) Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Nowadays, Humphries uses Dame Edna to poke fun at just about everyone!

Dame Edna has appeared in numerous movies and television programmes, some of which include "Saturday Night Live", "Ally McBeal", and "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie", as well as talk shows, such as those hosted by Jay Leno, Graham Norton, Michael Parkinson, Rob Brydon, and Tony Danza.

10. Born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1972. This actress played the title role of Muriel in "Muriel's Wedding", and was nominated for an Academy Ward for Best Supporting Actress in her role as Haley Joel Osment's mother in "The Sixth Sense".

Answer: Toni Colette

The role of Muriel Heslop in "Muriel's Wedding" is considered the role that started Toni Collette on the path to stardom. In an article by the "Sydney Morning Herald, Toni Collette stated "I'm still so grateful for "Muriel's Wedding". It gave me a life I could never have dreamed of".

Since then, she has made quite a career out of motherly roles. As well as playing the mother to Haley Joel Osment's character in "The Sixth Sense", she was the mother in a number of movies, including "Little Miss Sunshine", "About a Boy", "The Way, Way Back", "The Black Balloon", "The United States of Tara", "Jesus Henry Christ", "Glassland", "Hereditary" and "Knives Out".

Source: Author MotherGoose

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
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Celebrities Down Under Trivia Quiz

Can you guess the famous Australian celebrities from the clues provided?

Questions		Choices
1. Born in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1969. This actress earned her first Academy Award nomination (for Best Actress) for her role as Elizabeth I in the movie "Elizabeth". She also played Galadriel in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogies.		Toni Colette
2. Born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1959, of Dutch-Italian heritage. This actor is well-known in both television and movies. He played FBI agent Jack Malone in "Without a Trace".		Hugh Jackman
3. Born in 1979 in Perth, Western Australia. This actor's promising career was cut short at the age of 28 when he died of an overdose of prescription medication.		Barry Humphries
4. Born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1968. Some of this actor's memorable roles include Wolverine, Van Helsing, and Jean Valjean (in "Les Miserables").		Paul Hogan
5. Born on Honolulu, in 1967, while her Australian parents were temporarily living in Hawaii on student visas. She received Academy Award nominations for "Moulin Rouge", "The Hours", "Rabbit Hole" and "Lion".		Simon Baker
6. Born in Launceston, Tasmania in 1969. He played the titular roles of Patrick Jane in "The Mentalist" and Nick Fallin in "The Guardian".		Cate Blanchett
7. Although he jokingly claims he was born in Lightning Ridge, he was really born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1939. He was working as a rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge when he got his start in show business by appearing on an amateur talent show.		Anthony La Paglia
8. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1909. This actor made a career of "swashbuckling" roles and had a well-deserved reputation as a womaniser. His autobiography was entitled "My Wicked, Wicked Ways".		Heath Ledger
9. Born in 1934 in Melbourne, Victoria. This actor/comedian is most well-known for his female alter ego, Dame Edna Everage.		Nicole Kidman
10. Born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1972. This actress played the title role of Muriel in "Muriel's Wedding", and was nominated for an Academy Ward for Best Supporting Actress in her role as Haley Joel Osment's mother in "The Sixth Sense".		Errol Flynn