In 2002, while still in high school, he made his soap opera debut as High School hunk and football team captain Taj Coppin in Neighbours.
Fans may recall his tumultuous relationship with Delta Goodrem before to leaving the well-known soap opera to focus on his other passion: music.
Following in the footsteps of his rock star father, James Reyne, JR has built a tremendously successful career as a musician in the nearly 20 years since he left the soap opera.
The multi-talented star also has a well-known mother.
Let’s look at his life off the stage and screen as we welcome him back to the Australian soap Home and Away.
Career in Music
The multi-talented star has emulated his father’s success as a musician by carving out a thriving career of his own.
In the course of his musical career, JR headed various bands before releasing his debut album at the age of 20.
He even started doing solo performances with a guitar and harmonica.
The celebrity has performed all over the world, graced the lineups of prestigious festivals, and toured with eminent musicians.
“I was infatuated with music when I was a kid, and I did it on purpose. I’ve never felt pressured to do anything, he told Stuff.
“Do whatever you want to do when you’re older, as long as you are nice to people,” was the advice I consistently received.
He participated in Rushcutter, an Australian band that toured abroad and even produced an album at the Roundhouse Studios owned by the Finn brothers in Auckland.
“I had a wonderful time. I was able to travel the globe, he continued.
SOAP RETURN
When he was cast as Taj Coppin, the football team captain at Erinsborough High School, Reyne initially rose to stardom in Neighbours while still a student in 2002.
Delta Goodrem’s love partner was also his character.
When he revealed that he would be returning to Australia’s TV screens in the character of Emmett Ellison in 2021, the star made a spectacular comeback.
He played a significant role in one of the major plotlines of 2021 involving Nikau’s disastrous modelling career.
The actor acknowledges that the Covid-19 limitations had prevented him from going on tour in 2020, so when the Home and Away job opened up, he jumped at the chance.
He told Stuff, “I had just moved to Sydney from Melbourne when lockdown occurred.
“I had a tour planned that would keep me busy for the entire year, and I recall celebrating the tour the week before lockdown occurred.
“The first item to be pulled was live music at that point. “OK, so where do we go from here?” I was asking myself as I was just moving into a new home.
To say I was thrilled to land the Home And Away part would be a slight understatement.
Renowned parents
JR’s parents are Australian Crawl musician James Reyne and model-turned-celebrity stylist Kim Ellmer, which many people might not be aware of.
His rock star father enjoyed a successful solo and band career with Australian Crawl.
In the 1980s, the band went on to sell over a million albums in Australia, releasing singles like Reckless, Beautiful People, and Errol.
JR claims he never intended to follow in the footsteps of his famous musical father and instead tried to carve out a career for himself as a musician.
JR acknowledges that one of the main reasons he moved to America was to get away from all of it.
When my band and I were performing in West Hollywood, someone would yell, “Sing Reckless! I have never covered one of his tunes. Although we keep it separate, I actually adore his work, he said to News Corp Australia.
Regarding his famous mother, she is currently paving the way as an accomplished stylist who has created some of Australia’s most beloved red carpet, TV, and film looks.
My relationship with my son hasn’t really changed since becoming a grandparent because we’ve always been close, but watching him be the wonderful father that he is to his son has made me respect him more than I could ever describe, Kim said in an interview with Husk about her relationship with her son since becoming a grandmother.
“Even though I’ve always been a very proud mother, seeing it is definitely something special.
