10 Hollywood Stars You Didn't Know Began Their Career In Soap Operas

7. Russell Crowe

A popular perception of Russell Crowe these days is of a somewhat arrogant movie star with a tendency to punch papparazzi in the face - it might be somewhat removed from the truth (although he's certainly been in more than his fair share of scuffles with the press) but it's certainly one popularised with his unofficial appearance in South Park, "fightin' around the world!" Crowe might not be the greatest actor in the world (as he'd perhaps have you believe) but he's certainly got talent, with sterling performances in A Beautiful Mind and The Insider proving that he's more than capable of playing characters which aren't always the traditional heroic types. After moving from New Zealand to Australia he got an early break on the hit soap Neighbours as Kenny Larkin, a hustler who cheats Henry Ramsay out of $100 at darts. It was in another Australian production, the movie Romper Stomper, where Crowe broke away from television and began his film career. Here he played a Nazi skinhead and picked up his first award, Best Actor in a Lead Role, at the Australian Film Institute Awards.