11 Successful Celebrities from Down Under

5. Flea

Michael Balzary, better known by his stage name Flea, is the bassist and co-founding member of the hit rock band, Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea was born in the Melbourne suburb of Mount Waverley, but moved to New York with his family when he was only five for his father’s job. His parents divorced when he was nine, and his father moved back to Australia. Flea stayed in New York with his mother and siblings. He became interested in punk music during his high school years. Originally a jazz trumpet player, Flea learned to play bass from a school friend. An impromptu collaboration of high school classmates eventually became the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of the most successful rock bands of this generation.