MANILA, Philippines?During the golden years of Hollywood, producers were wont to depict medieval epics and romantic dramas set in England. Save for Gary Cooper and John Wayne, Hollywood actors like Errol Flynn and Merle Oberon often put on a British accent.

However, insiders knew that the dashing Flynn and the elegant Oberon, who were often cast as an English lord and lady, respectively, were actually from Down Under. In fact, both of them were born on a little-known island south of the Australian continent called Tasmania. Errol was Essex to Bette Davis? Elizabeth, and Oberon was Catherine to Laurence Olivier?s Heathcliff in the immortal love story, ?Wuthering Heights.?

Trained actors

It was in the ?70s when Hollywood really went Aussie. By then, Australia had enough trained actors to export to the film capital. Not only were its films starting to gain critical acclaim, but their actors also managed to ?discard? their distinct twang and affected a British or American accent.

One of Hollywood?s Aussie finds is Geoffrey Rush, who took home the 1996 Best Actor Oscar for his performance in ?Shine.? Before him, George Lazenby was one of the earliest replacements for Sean Connery as James Bond, though he was hardly heard from after his portrayal of the superspy didn?t click with moviegoers.

Presence

By the late ?70s, the Australian presence could no longer be ignored when Olivia Newton-John rose to global stardom as a pop music icon and starred with John Travolta in the musical, ?Grease.?

Nicole Kidman was initially known as the very attractive and statuesque wife of Tom Cruise. Her wise choice of films (?Moulin Rouge?) soon catapulted her to the top of the Hollywood heap. She brought home the Best Actress Oscar for portraying Virginia Woolf in ?The Hours.? Cate Blanchett?s career took flight when she portrayed Queen Elizabeth I in two films?to great acclaim. She continues to grow in stature with every difficult role she essays.

Stage musical

Among the most appealing of today?s actors are Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman. Crowe won an Oscar for ?Gladiator,? while Jackman was acclaimed for his performance in the stage musical, ?Oklahoma.? More recently, he teamed up with Kidman in Baz Luhrmann?s ?Australia.?