Conrad Coleby, a milkybar kid, enjoyed fame while promoting the white chocolate treat in the 1990s, had a difficult time at school, and is now a fantastic career.
For many youngsters, the allure of fame or a spot on telly is the ultimate dream. While snagging Oscar and Golden Globe nods before you’re even a teen is a rarity reserved for a select few, plenty of actors have climbed their way to the top by kicking off their careers in the world of adverts.
Yet, for some child stars, choosing a life out of the spotlight becomes the more appealing path after experiencing intense fame at such a tender age. Conrad Coleby is one such star, who found fame in the 1990s advertising Nestle’s Milkybars. Known as the Milkybar Kid, he starred in one of the firm’s Western-themed adverts, riding into town on a horse like a cowboy, only to utter the immortal line, “The Milkybars are on me!”
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Conrad, the 45-year-old son of British actor Robert Coleby, rose to fame early on, but later acknowledged the dark side of the industry. He admitted that being one of the only kids in my neighborhood to be on TV caused quite a bit of bullying in his later years as the Milkybar Kid.
“I obviously liked being teased so much that I decided to give everyone more ammunition and work as an actor in the future”!
Fittingly, Conrad has gone on to great success. Since his Milkybar days, he made a name for himself in Australia, with roles in Home and Away – as Roman Harris – and Disney’s Sabrina Down Under. He also landed a part in Sea Patrol playing the dashing Dylan ‘Dutchy’ Mulholland and shared screen space with Hugh Jackman in Wolverine, playing Red Beard.
However, he changed his career to a career in photography, specializing in portraiture, commercial photography, and sporting events, in 2016. His photographs have appeared in numerous publications and exhibitions, including his award-winning work Home.
In the same popular Aussie soap, Neighbours, he reprised his acting career in the role of Vance Abernethy in a different genre. Roxy Willis, Vance’s girlfriend, and Leo Tanaka discovered that her share of the money that Vance used to purchase half of a well-known bar was donated to him, making him Leo’s new partner when he met her in Erinsborough.
Conrad has just over 600 followers on his Instagram account, where he describes himself as “an Australian actor, voice artist and photographer.” With blond hair and a goatee, he now looks very different from his MilkyBar kid days. In one picture, taken way back in September 2020, he is wearing sunglasses and a black beanie hat paired with a black T-shirt and smiles at the camera with a cup of takeaway coffee in front of him. He captioned the image: “Spring sun….lead us outta the cooooooovid winner blues thank ya lor jeezus.”
As someone says, “It’s always cool to see the many facets of your career,” he is covering one eye with a visitor pass in another image, which is simply “Red leather, yellow leather.”
Source: Mirror
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