Neighbours cast then and now: Where are the soap's stars since leaving the show?

28 July 2022, 11:49 | Updated: 15 April 2024, 15:43

Australian soap opera Neighbours has seen some huge stars pass through its doors, so where are Delta Goodrem, Jason Donovan, Jesse Spencer and more now?

When Neighbours bosses announced the end of the beloved Australian soap opera back in March 2022, fans the world over started mourning the characters they had followed for 37-years on Ramsay Street.

The cult favourite show has paved the way for many actors to find their acting feet before going on to bigger and better things including number one singles, Oscar nominations and even Grammy Awards!

• When is the last episode of Neighbours, why is the soap ending and who is in the finale?
• Neighbours: Remembering Kylie and Jason's iconic soap wedding and its incredible song
• The inside story of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan's eventful 35-year relationship

With a cast of unforgettable characters – including Kylie and Jason's Scott and Charlene Robinson, Libby Kennedy and fan favourite Harold Bishop – you're probably a little curious what they're all up to these days.

Read on to find out where the cast of Neighbours are now:

1. Kylie Minogue (Charlene Robinson)

   

   You'd be hard-pressed to find a more famous Neighbours export than the one and only Kylie Minogue.

   The actress burst onto TV screens as Charlene Mitchell in 1986, playing the daughter of Erinsborough favourite, Madge Ramsay, when she was just 18-years-old.

   She went on to fall in love with Jason Donovan's character, Scott Robinson, both on and off-screen and left Neighbours in 1989.

   

   Kylie then went on to launch a successful singing career, first releasing the famous duet 'Especially For You' with boyfriend Jason Donovan, before setting out as a solo artist.

   • Watch: Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan seen for first time in trailer for Neighbours finale
   • Kylie Minogue facts: Legendary singer's age, partner, songs and height revealed

   Kylie Minogue has gone on to sell over 80 million albums worldwide and has won 13 Brit Awards and five Grammy Awards - not bad for the girl from Ramsay Street...!

2. Jason Donovan (Scott Robinson)

   

   Jason Donovan became Neighbours' resident heartthrob after joining the show's cast in 1986 as Scott Robinson.

   The star then left Ramsay Street not long after girlfriend Kylie Minogue in 1989 and released single 'Nothing Can Divide Us' before after collaborating on the duet 'Especially For You' with Kylie.

   • Jason Donovan facts: Singer's age, wife, children, songs and net worth revealed
   • Neighbours finale: Alan Fletcher teases emotional final episode and surprise cameos

   His next single 'Too Many Broken Hearts' become number 1 in the UK before Jason landed the coveted lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in London in 1991.

   

   Since then Jason has acted in various films including The Rocky Horror Show, has starred in Strictly Come Dancing and I'm A Celebrity... and has settled down with wife Angela Malloch in London, with whom he shares three children.

3. Margot Robbie (Donna Freedman)

   

   Margot Robbie played Donna Freedman on Neighbours from 2008 - 2011 before the actress left to pursue acting in Hollywood when she was 22 years old.

   Her breakthrough role came in the smash hit film The Wolf of Wall Street opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in 2013 before she went on to find wider acclaim as Harley Quinn in the DC Films, Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey.

   Margot's career has seen her be nominated for two Oscars, three Golden Globes and three BAFTAs and she was ranked of the world's highest-paid actors by Forbes in 2019.

   

   The actress married British assistant director Tom Ackerley in 2016 and the couple live in Venice Beach, California.

4. Guy Pearce (Mike Young)

   

   Guy Pearce first found TV fame in 1986, playing the role of Scott's best pal Mike Young for several years. He also had a role in Home and Away.

   He received international attention after his breakout role in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994, and had a successful transition to Hollywood.

   He later had starring roles in films including LA Confidential, Memento and The Time Machine.

   Other roles include The Road, The Hurt Locker, The King's Speech, Prometheus, and Iron Man 3.

   

   Guy won a Primetime Emmy Award for Mildred Pierce and has received various award nominations including a Golden Globe Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and an Australian Academy Film Award.

   To honour his soap beginnings, Guy returned as Mike in the final episode of Neighbours in 2022.

   He married his childhood sweetheart, psychologist Kate Mestitz, in 1997. However, in 2015 they ended their marriage after 18 years. He is now in a relationship with Dutch actress Carice van Houten, and they have a son, Monte, who was born in 2016.

5. Natalie Imbruglia (Beth Brennan)

   

   Natalie Imbruglia played Beth in Neighbours for three years before leaving Australia for London to pursue a music career.

   It worked, as her cover of 'Torn' became a massive international hit, and her debut album Left of the Middle sold seven million copies worldwide.

   Her five subsequent albums have combined sales of three million copies worldwide, and she has won eight ARIA Awards, two Brit Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and three Grammy nominations.

   Natalie has also appeared in several films, including Johnny English and Closed for Winter.

   

6. Delta Goodrem (Nina Tucker)

   

   Delta Goodrem joined Neighbours in 2002 after producers saw the video for the singer's debut single and were determined to have her on the show.

   Her character Nina Tucker released a song as part of her storyline, giving Delta's career a huge boost and ensuring her single 'Born To Try' became a hit - the song reached number one in Australia and number three in the UK.

   Delta left Neighbours to undergo treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma, returning to the show in 2004 before leaving for good to pursue a career in music.

   The singer has since been a coach on The Voice Australia for a whopping seven seasons and has had a total of nine number-one singles and 17 top-ten hits on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.

   Delta has been in a relationship with musician Matthew Copley since late 2017 and the pair live together in Sydney.

   

7. Jesse Spencer (Billy Kennedy)

   

   Jesse Spencer played Billy Kennedy – the son of iconic duo Susan and Karl Kennedy – from 1994-2000.

   After leaving Neighbours to pursue a serious acting career, Jesse landed a few small roles before appearing as Dr Robert Chase on cult medical drama House from 2004-2012.

   For the last nine years from 2012-2021, Jesse has played Matthew Casey on NBC drama Chicago Fire.

   

   The actor got engaged to Kali Woodruff Carr in 2019. The couple married on 27 June 2020 and live in Melbourne and Los Angeles.

8. Alan Dale (Jim Robinson)

   

   New Zealand-born actor Alan Dale moved to Australia aged 27 to pursue a career in acting.

   On Neighbours, he famously played the role of Jim Robinson, Paul Robinson’s father, from 1985 to 1993.

   In 2000, Alan moved to the US, and he successfully found himself as one of the most hardworking actors on TV.

   He appeared in many top shows, usually as gruff powerful men, including The OC, Ugly Betty, Lost and Dynasty.

   

9. Kym Valentine (Libby Kennedy)

   

   Kym Valentine played Libby Kennedy – the sister of Jesse Spencer's Billy Kennedy – from 1994 until 2011, with various periods of time away from the show in between.

   In 2005, Valentine took the lead role of Baby in Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage in Sydney, before reprising her role as Libby again in 2007.

   She recently appeared in the film The Grand Scheme and has produced the upcoming film Residence.

   

   Kym is mother daughter Millana, 16, who she shares with singer Fabio Tolli, and son Phoenix, 4, who she shares with AFL player, Trent Croad, who she was engaged to before they split in 2017.

10. Ian Smith (Harold Bishop)

    

    Actor, producer and screenwriter Ian Smith is best known for his role as fan favourite Harold Bishop.

    Ian played the Neighbours character from 1987 until 1991, he then reprised his role in 1996 as a series regular until 2009 and subsequently with guest appearances in 2011, 2015 and 2022!

    The actor became so famous as Harold that he has since said he should have left the soap Neighbours sooner.

    He has since joked that he became 'Harold from Neighbours' and that when auditioning for other roles he would be told: "Oh you were in Neighbours, you were Harold, you couldn't possibly be a murdering p*edophile".

    

    Ian was originally a theatre actor at The National Theatre in Melbourne, and from 1957 starred in productions including Merry Widow, Camelot, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof and Anthony and Elizabeth.

11. Anne Charleston (Madge Bishop)

    

    Anne Charleston stepped onto Ramsay Street at Madge Bishop in 1986 and her romance with husband Harold Bishop became a cult favourite.

    The dynamic duo were on Neighbours together until 1992 when Anne left, before reprising her role in 1996 and ultimately leaving the show in 2000.

    In 2006 Anne joined UK soap Emmerdale as character Lily Butterfield and regularly returned to the show until 2009.

    

    Rumour has it Anne is set to return for Neighbours: The Finale as a ghost – yes, a ghost – after Madge died from pancreatic cancer in 2001, leaving husband Harold devastated.

    Watch this space...

12. Russell Crowe (Kenny Larkin)

    

    Yep, Hollywood legend Russell Crowe appeared in four episodes of Neighbours as Kenny, Henry Ramsay's former cellmate, in 1987.

    Russell is of course best known for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator (2000), for which he won an Academy Award, Empire Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Leading Actor.

    Other roles include a wide range of films including American Gangster, Robin Hood, Les Miserables, LA Confidential, and A Beautiful Mind.