Rob Mills

Rob Mills
Born	(1982-06-21) June 21, 1982 Australia
Occupation(s)	Actor, television presenter, singer-songwriter
Years active	2003–present
Known for	Australian Idol finalist, host of Young Talent Time, role as Finn Kelly on Neighbours

Robert Mills (born 21 June 1982) is a multifaceted Australian entertainer known for his work as an actor, television presenter, and singer-songwriter. He first rose to national attention as a finalist during the debut season of Australian Idol in 2003. Mills later co-hosted the late-night quiz program The Mint with his childhood hero J-Dawg, and both were featured in the rebooted series of Young Talent Time. Additionally, he was a regular vocalist on the Nine Network's game show The Singing Bee. His television appearances include competing in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars and participating in Celebrity Apprentice.

In 2008, Mills landed the principal male role of Fiyero in the Australian staging of the musical Wicked, continuing this role through its nationwide tour. Since then, he has performed in numerous prominent musical theatre productions. In 2012, he was appointed as host for Network Ten’s reimagined version of Young Talent Time. From 2017 until 2022, Mills portrayed the character of teacher Finn Kelly on the soap opera Neighbours. He is engaged to Georgie Tunny, a former presenter on The Project.

Early life

Mills completed his education up to Year 10 at Brentwood Secondary College, before finishing Years 11 and 12 at Box Hill Senior Secondary College. Early in his career, he established a band named "The Megamen," which developed a local fan base through frequent live performances at venues around Melbourne. He continues to reside in Melbourne.

Australian Idol

During the inaugural season of Australian Idol, Mills secured a position among the top five finalists. He contributed vocals to "Rise Up," a number-one single performed collectively by all finalists in 2003, and appeared on the double platinum-selling album Australian Idol: Final 12 with his cover of "Dirty Girl."

Some of Mills' standout performances included:

1. Melbourne Audition – "Swear It Again" (Westlife)
2. Semi-final Group 5 – "Angels" (Robbie Williams)
3. Final 12 (70s theme) – "Alright Now" (Free)
4. Final 10 (#1 Hits theme) – "You Don't Treat Me No Good" (Sonia Dada)
5. Final 8 (Australian Hits theme) – "Take Me Back" (Noiseworks)
6. Final 6 (80s theme) – "If I Could" (1927)
7. Up, Close and Personal round – "When You Say Nothing at All" (Ronan Keating)
8. Final 5 (R&B/Soul theme) – "Too Close" (Next) and "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" (R. Kelly)

Touring and television

In 2004, Mills signed a recording contract with BMG. His debut studio album, Up All Night, was released in Australia on 14 June 2004 and entered the charts within the top 40. The album’s leading single, Ms Vanity, launched on 31 May and climbed to number six on the Australian singles chart.

During July 2005, Mills toured along Australia's eastern seaboard and made appearances on national television programs such as KAK, The Today Show, and Carols by Candlelight. He took on the role of Johnny Casino in Grease – The Musical Arena Tour, performing alongside notable artists including John Farnham, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, and Craig McLachlan; this tour received both commercial success and critical acclaim.

Starting from 28 July 2005, Mills hosted the hidden-camera series Stooged on Network Ten, although it was discontinued shortly after due to low viewership. He also participated humorously during Triple M’s tsunami relief broadcast by requesting his own track on air at the station’s suggestion.

Mills publicly discussed a brief encounter with celebrity heiress Paris Hilton at the 2003 Melbourne Cup, later parodying this moment during an appearance on Spicks and Specks by performing "I Love Paris."

On 31 July 2007, he began co-hosting the late-night quiz show The Mint aired on the Nine Network. That same year, he took part in a satirical segment on ABC’s The Chaser's War on Everything, which targeted Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon. In October 2007, Mills became a regular vocalist on Nine Network’s game show The Singing Bee.

In 2009, Mills competed in Dancing with the Stars, being eliminated as the second contestant. Between 2009 and 2010, he had a recurring role on children’s program The Shak and made several appearances on game show Pyramid during mid-2010. That year also saw him feature on variety show Hey Hey It's Saturday, guest star in drama series Winners & Losers, and portray jazz musician Eric Connolly in Nine Network’s crime drama Underbelly: Razor.

In August 2011, Mills was announced as host for the revived talent competition Young Talent Time, working alongside original host Johnny Young as co-producer. He led a live tour consisting of fourteen shows across eight venues during mid-2012, including sold-out performances at Melbourne’s Crown Casino. The tour showcased performances by Grand Final champions Lil' Banditz Krew and choreography from Project Dance.

In 2013, Mills took part in season three of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia, securing $40,000 for charity before being eliminated in the subsequent episode.

Mills joined the cast of soap opera Neighbours in November 2016 as educator Finn Kelly; his first appearance aired in March 2017 with subsequent returns in 2018.

In 2018, he appeared in ABC’s documentary series You Can't Ask That within the episode titled 'Ex-Reality TV Stars'.

In 2019, Mills was unveiled as the 'Wolf' character on The Masked Singer Australia, finishing as runner-up.

In 2023, Mills was honored as King of Moomba for the Moomba Festival, alongside Rhonda Burchmore.

Musical theatre

In 2005, Mills toured across Australia performing as Johnny Casino in Grease – The Arena Spectacular, sharing the stage with prominent artists such as Craig McLachlan and John Farnham.

May 2007 saw Mills take on the role of Claude in the fully sold-out Perth staging of the rock musical Hair, under the direction of Chris Kabay and musical direction by Simon Holt.

Mills was the original actor cast as the male lead, Fiyero, in the Australian rendition of the Broadway sensation Wicked. The production debuted in Melbourne on 12 July 2008, running for over a year before moving to Sydney. His co-stars included Lucy Durack, Amanda Harrison, and the late Rob Guest. Mills' tenure ended on 6 June 2010.

Between 13 and 30 July 2011, he portrayed Jamie in Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years at Sydney's Seymour Centre.

In March 2012, Mills was selected to play Warner Huntington III in Australia's version of Legally Blonde, performing alongside Lucy Durack. The show opened at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre in September 2012 and subsequently toured Brisbane and Melbourne throughout 2013.

During 2013, Mills assumed the role of Danny in the Australian tour of Grease. The production premiered at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre and concluded its second season at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre in January 2015.

August 2015 marked Mills’ involvement with Swing on This, a quartet of musical theatre performers delivering contemporary swing music in a cabaret style. That same year, he also toured his cabaret show Surprisingly Good, which received a nomination for a Sydney Theatre Award, performing in major cities across Australia.

In 2016, Mills starred as Sam in the Australian staging of Ghost the Musical, earning a Helpmann Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical.

He took on the role of Jesus Christ in 2017 during The Production Company’s revival of Jesus Christ Superstar at Arts Centre Melbourne.

From August through October 2022, Mills appeared as Corny Collins in the Australian revival of Hairspray. Since February 2023, he has been portraying Shakespeare in the Australian production of & Juliet.

Stage acting

In 2018, Rob Mills joined the Australian ensemble cast of the American play Puffs, where he performed dual roles as Cedric Diggory and Voldemort.

Albums

Studio albums with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		AUS
Up All Night	Release date: 14 June 2004 Label: BMG Australia (8287662645) Format: CD	21

Singles

Singles with chart positions and certifications

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Certifications	Album
		AUS
"Ms. Vanity"	2004	6	ARIA: Gold	Up All Night
"Every Single Day"		24

Collaborations as a Featured Artist

Singles as a featured artist, including chart rankings and certifications

Song Title	Release Year	Highest Chart Position	Certification Status	Associated Album
		Australia
"Rise Up" (featuring [[Australian Idol 2003|Australian Idol Top 12])	2003	1	ARIA: Gold	Australian Idol: The Final 12
"Twelve Days of Christmas" (performed by Dreamtime Christmas All-Stars)	2004	26		Template:Non-album single

Helpmann Awards

Since 2001, the Helpmann Awards have celebrated outstanding achievements in Australia's live performance and theatrical arts, organized by the industry body Live Performance Australia. It is important to note that the ceremonies for 2020 and 2021 were not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

! |- | 2016 | Rob Mills – Ghost: the Musical | Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical | | |-

External links

• Official website of Rob Mills