Australia’s most bankable names who have their pick of events
The A list needs no introduction. The nation is already on first name terms with it. Regardless of background, A listers have one thing in common: They have been tested and been found to be bankable. PLAY: CAN YOU PICK AN A-LISTER
- Ultimate A-listers and those who wish they were
- B-Listers: Busy and bold who dress the part
- C list: Celebrity big names now but not for long
- The desperate stars who are on the celebrity D list
The A List needs no introduction. The nation is already on first name terms with it.
Hugh, Margot, Nicole, Cate, Warnie, Rupert, Gina and Miranda — they are among the most celebrated, smartest, most gifted and beautiful Australia has to offer.
Synonymous with success, some A-listers can be classified as Australian icons.
Still others have merely won a genetic lottery and been born to great wealth or simply great dimples.
Regardless of background, A Listers have one thing in common: They have been tested and been found to be bankable.
As a result, they are in demand socially and can have their pick of the most exclusive and glamorous events on the social calendar — every day of the week, every week of the year. These lions and luminaries are courted by governments, big business, arts and sporting foundations, Hollywood tycoons and powerful suitors.
Being in demand means an A Lister is selective about where and when they venture out. Each public appearance fuels gossip — and in turn headlines — about potential partnerships, expansion and succession plans, romance, wealth and property.
As a result, members of the A-list have learned to keep public appearances to a minimum. Sightings are rare but memorable.
CHRIS HEMSWORTH & ELSA PATAKY
Chris Hemsworth is one of the best looking actors in the world and wife Elsa Pataky she’s the Spanish model, actor and film producer who was smart and beautiful enough to snag him. Now based in Byron Bay where they’re building a mansion to house their young family, Hemsworth and Pataky are currently Australia’s sexiest couple. The surf-loving Hemsworth can thank producers of the Marvel film franchise for making his career and his kick-boxing wife, star of The Fast and The Furious franchise, for largely keeping the Aussie boy grounded.
HUGH JACKMAN & DEBORRA-LEE FURNESS
The relationship between actors Jackman (who also made this year’s Most Influential List in Time magazine) and Furness is one of the Australian film industry’s great love stories. The Greatest Showman and Wolverine star regularly attributes his success to his extroverted wife’s unwavering support, cool judgment and steadfast love. The couple has two adopted children and Furness is a passionate advocate for adoption law reform.
MARGOT ROBBIE
Smart, sexy, adaptable, in demand and only 28, Robbie can write her own cheque in Hollywood thanks to enormous successes of The Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad and I, Tonya which she produced and brought an Oscar nomination.
CATE BLANCHETT
Actor’s actor and double Oscar winner with few poor steps in a career spanning three decades (Ocean’s 8 being a rare exception). She’s icily dignified and wildly fun by turns, a progressive, a mother of three and wife of playwright Andrew Upton, with whom she ran the Sydney Theatre Company for three years.
LIAM HEMSWORTH & MILEY CYRUS
Hemsworth is best known on screen for his work in four Hunger Games films and locally as playing the romantic lead in The Dressmaker, yet it is his relationship with brother Chris and his engagement to American country music royalty Miley Cyrus that lands him an A List spot.
AC/DC
Age and touring have absolutely wearied them but the rock gods led by Malcolm Young, the only original member still on tour, have infiltrated the world and even the blockbuster universes of Marvel (Iron Man) and Dreamworks (Megamind).
KYLIE MINOGUE
One of Australia’s greatest ever female music exports, with 10 number one singles in Australia and seven in the UK, Minogue continues to release an album every few years and will tour again next year to the delight of faithful fans. Beloved by gays and royals alike, the pop singer/actress’ popularity spans generations.
SHANE WARNE
Playful, charismatic. with a voracious sexual appetite, there is definitely something about skirt-chasing-cricketer-turned commentator-turned-poker-playing larrikin Shane Warne. When the retired Aussie spin bowler won the heart of stunning British actor Liz Hurley in 2010, men and women the world over were forced to acknowledge his love god super powers.
GREG NORMAN
He calls US president Donald Trump a friend and “intelligent guy” and no longer plays golf more than, he says, five or six times a year but former Queensland-born pro golfer Greg Norman is these days in high demand as a golf course designer. His confidence, at 63, is greater than it’s been in decades and he’s taken to stripping off — on a fairly regular basis of late — for the media. An odd move if you’re not Putin but one that keeps Norman n the news.
DANIEL RICCIARDO
Perth born Formula One driver Ricciardo succeeded Mark Webber on Red Bull’s F1 Racing Team in 2014, going on the finish third in the championship that year. Ricciardo this year signed up to drive for Renault in 2019 and 2020.
ELLE MACPHERSON
An original “supermodel” who found fame in the 1980s, Macpherson, aka The Body, was one of the first in her industry to make a successful transition from the billboard to boardroom with her own lingerie line, for Bendon Limited Apparel. Now has a wellness range.
ROSLYN PACKER
The widow of Kerry and mother to James and Gretel is the keeper of some of Sydney’s most delicious secrets. Daughter of a country doctor, “Ros” married at 19, in 1963 and remained schtum about KP’s many mistresses for five decades. A keen supporter of the arts, medical research and the Liberal party. Owns an apartment on luxury cruise ship The World, a gift from her son James, and at 80 looks to be having the time of her life.
GRETEL PACKER
The eldest child of media proprietor Kerry and wife Roslyn, Gretel Packer was thought to be the shy type and was much-underestimated through the years, not least by brother James, who was happy investing her estimated $2b inheritance share in his casino empire until she finally, to her brother’s complete annoyance, said “stop”. In the past decade Gretel has emerged as a judicious and generous philanthropist in her own right.
RUPERT MURDOCH & JERRY HALL
Media magnate Murdoch, executive chairman of News Corp (and publisher of this publication), is head of one of the largest news and information service providers in the world. He is also executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, now in the process of being acquired by Disney in a blockbuster $71 billion deal that will see Murdoch retain a sizeable stake in the company. Married to world famous Texan beauty Jerry Hall — the woman who managed to tame Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger — and still as passionate about news as he was in 1952.
MIRANDA KERR
Gunnedah’s golden girl has modelled for some of the world’s biggest brands including Victoria’s Secret and dated a series of high-profile wealthy men including Orlando Bloom and James Packer. She has a global skincare company, Kora Organics, but is was in 2014 that Kerr, now married to billionaire US tech developer Evan Spiegel, hit her career peak after being named the equal-third most highly paid model in the world.
JAMES PACKER
Having sold out of father Kerry’s media empire to focus on gaming and hospitality, James has endured three horror years, with executives arrested in China, political scandal in Israel, shattered relations with former besties including Hollywood titan Brett Ratner, the implosion of his engagement to Mariah Carey and rehab for alcohol addition. Packer is forging on with his giant Barangaroo tower and casino, while building a new pad in Cabo, Mexico, where he and sidekick Ben Tilley can spend the rest of their days.
GINA RINEHART
When Australian mining magnate and executive chair of Hancock Prospecting Rinehart parties, she enjoys the company of rich traditional Aussie men, among them beer-loving investor John Singleton, truck loving magnate Lindsay Fox, Jayco caravan king Gerry Ryan, anti-abortion pro-infidelity pollie Barnaby Joyce, the man ex AWU secretary Paul Howes once said he’d like to “dry hump”, retired trade unionist Bill Kelty, and Collingwood AFL club president Eddie McGuire — a party in need of a keg of KB beer and a tray meat pies and Chiko rolls if ever there was one. Partial to pizza, champagne, the music of ABBA and a splashless display from a pair of female synchronised swimmers in a pool, few guests leave a Rinehart party unsatisfied.
ANDREW FORREST
Twiggy as he’s known to friends, made his fortune in nickel and iron-ore mining and is now worth an estimated $6b. He’s a huge philanthropist and this year dropped $16 million on a Sydney house, sight unseen, after wife Nicola fell in love with the Point Piper property. The Forrests have three children, one of whom, second daughter Sophia, is a rising acting star.
MIKE CANNON-BROOKES & SCOTT FARQUHAR
The lads behind software start-up success story Atlassian. After meeting an university at the University of NSW in their late teens, the two joined forces to co-found an international company now worth upwards of $19b. The best of friends, during the past year the pair bought his-and-his neighbouring mansions in Sydney’s exclusive Point Piper — Farquhar paying $70m for historic home Elaine and Cannon-Brookes more than $100m for Fairwater. Cannon-Brookes is inching towards political power, taking on Scott Morrison over “fair dinkum” power. He still proudly catches the ferry to work.
KERRY STOKES
Australian businessman with interests predominantly in media and industrial services, Stokes is best known for his high profile role as executive chairman of Seven Group Holdings Ltd and chairman of Seven Media Group. A keen collector of war memorabilia and art, Stokes is renowned for buying the war medals of deceased Australian war heroes and donating them to the Australian War Memorial.
FRANK LOWY
An immigrant success story, shopping-mall tycoon and football visionary, Lowy is a deal-maker who pulled off what’s been called the biggest deal in Australian corporate history in 2017 when he sold his Westfield retail empire to French company Unibail-Rodamco for $32 billion.
ANTHONY PRATT
Executive chair of cardboard box giant Visy, Pratt has expanded the family business into sustainable agriculture and water. Worth an estimated $12b, US-based Pratt is one of Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters. Thrice married with a private life as fascinating as his colourful father Richard’s.
GERRY HARVEY & KATIE PAGE HARVEY
Harvey Norman owners who also control Domayne and Joyce Mayne, as well as substantial equestrian holdings. They saved the Gold Coast horse auction Magic Millions from bankruptcy, turning it into one of the social highlights on the Queensland calendar. Both are hugely influential across media, advertising, sport and business, with Katie a champion of women’s sport in particular.
LIANE MORIARTY
Sydney author Moriarty has enjoyed stratospheric success as the writer of eight books including Big Little Lies (optioned by Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon and adapted for television by HBO, winning eight Emmys) The Husband’s Secret (acquired by CBS and set to star Blake Lively), Truly Madly Guilty (film and TV rights sold to Kidman and Witherspoon) and Nine Perfect Strangers (optioned again by Kidman, who’ll star as controlling wellness svengali Masha, with Bruna Papandrea producing).
LACHLAN & SARAH MURDOCH
Co-chairman of News Corp, Lachlan Murdoch, oldest son of media proprietor Rupert, is future chairman and CEO of (new) Fox, which will comprise media assets spun off from 20th Century Fox post Disney acquisition including Fox Sports and Fox News. Married to supermodel Sarah (O’Hare) since 1999, the couple divide their time between the US and their magnificent Sydney home, Le Manoir in Bellevue Hill. Sarah plays a key role as a board director and ambassador of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, dedicated to finding cures for childhood illness
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