At the start of his career, Paul Hogan said he was born in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, to appear more interesting.

Hogan's natural ability as a comedic performer attracted the attention of Mike Willesee, host of Nine's news magazine program A Current Affair.

The series, which ran for 60 episodes between 1973 and 1984, was popular in the UK, where it aired on the new Channel Four from 1982 and also in South Africa, and showcased his trademark light-hearted but laddish ocker humour.

During the early 1980s, Hogan filmed a series of television ads promoting the Australian tourism industry, which aired in the United States.

[11] In 1985, Hogan appeared as an Australian World War I 'digger' named Pat Cleary in the mini-series Anzacs, which aired on the Nine Network.

Throughout the decade, Hogan appeared on British television in advertisements for Foster's Lager, in which he played an earthy Australian abroad in London.

In another advertisement from the same Foster's series, Hogan's character is approached in a London Tube station by a Japanese tourist who asks, "Do you know the way to Cockfosters?"

(referring to an area in North London), to which Hogan replies (with a puzzled look on his face): "Drink it warm, mate."

entering the lexicon, though Hogan was troubled that the character was perceived as a cross between Chuck Norris and John Rambo, and turned down roles similar to those because of their violent nature, commenting: "The movie scene is screaming out for the movie hero who doesn't kill 75 people...less of those commandos, terminators, ex-terminators and squashers.

"[12]In the early 1990s, a Paramount executive pitched a concept of a Crocodile Dundee and Beverly Hills Cop crossover movie.

In 2004, Hogan starred in the Australian-produced comedy film Strange Bedfellows, about two firemen pretending to be in a homosexual relationship for financial benefit.

Strange Bedfellows was written and directed by Hogan's friend Dean Murphy and was the highest-grossing Australian-made film of 2004.

From February 2003 until all charges were dropped in November 2010, Hogan faced a series of legal issues while under investigation by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for tax evasion.

[32] In July 2008, Hogan commented to Network Ten that he had "paid plenty of tax" in Australia and that he had nothing to fear from the ATO investigation.

[33] In October 2008, Hogan scored a major victory in his tax fight with the Australian Crime Commission, who were forced to pay up to an estimated AU$5 million for legal bills dating back to 2006 and were required to return seized personal financial documents that they had admitted were irrelevant.

[34] On 18 June 2010, in the Australian High Court, Hogan lost a long-running legal battle to keep the contents of his tax documents secret, paving the way for details of his offshore accounts to be published.

Upon arrival, he was issued a Departure Prohibition Order by the ATO, which prevented him from leaving the country until his alleged tax debt was paid or settled.

[41] As of April 2013, Hogan's financial advisor Stewart remained in a dispute with the Australian Tax Office.

[42] Hogan reappeared in the media in April 2013, because of a AU$32.3 million issue with a Swiss bank run by the Geneva firm Strachans.

[45] In response, Hogan denied paying the ATO, and criticised Jordan for breaking the confidentiality clause of the 2012 agreement.