It was the film that gave the world one of its very first glimpses of superstar Nicole Kidman.
The 1983 crime comedy BMX Bandits has since become a cult classic and a must-see for megafans of the Babygirl actress.
BMX Bandits was directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, known for helming a raft of low-budget exploitation flicks such as Turkey Shoot and The Man From Hong Kong.
It was the director’s tenth feature film and arguably the most well-known in his extensive filmography.
The film follows teenage BMX thrill-seekers P.J (Angelo D’Angelo) and Goose (James Lugton) who, after meeting new friend Judy (Nicole), discover a box of walkie-talkies.
The trio soon discover that a gang of criminals, led by the imaginatively monikered The Boss (Bryan Marshall), intend to use the walkies in a planned payroll heist.
The 1983 crime comedy BMX Bandits has since become a cult classic and a must see for megafans of Nicole Kidman
The film follows teenage BMX thrill-seekers P.J (Angelo D’Angelo) and Goose (James Lugton) who, after meeting new friend Judy (Nicole), discover a box of walkie-talkies
The trio of Bandits then hatch a plan to foil the planned heist and, spoiler alert, many BMX hijinks ensue.
The film was well received on its release, with Trenchard-Smith stating in the commentary on the film’s Blu-ray release that it grossed more than $1million in its first six weeks and was the fifth-highest grossing film in the UK that year.
So just what happened to the main cast of BMX Bandits?
Nicole Kidman
Needless to say, Hollywood megastar Nicole Kidman’s post-BMX Bandits career has been very well documented.
After a stellar career in Australia in the likes of the Phillip Noyce-directed thriller Dead Calm and mini-series’ The Bangkok Hilton and Vietnam, Nicole made her mark on Hollywood.
She rose to international fame in the 1990 film Days of Thunder, where she also met her first husband Tom Cruise.
Soaring from success to success, Nicole went on to star in other huge projects including Far and Away, To Die For, Batman Forever, and auteur director Stanley Kubrick’s cinema swansong Eyes Wide Shut.
Nicole nabbed a best actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Virginia Woolfe in the 2002 drama The Hours and was nominated for roles in Moulin Rouge!, Rabbit Hole, Lion and Being The Ricardos.
BMX Bandits was Nicole’s second feature film and according tto IMDB, she was picked for the role from a field of 200 hopefuls
After a stellar career in Australia in the likes of the Phillip Noyce -directed thriller Dead Calm and mini-series’ The Bangkok Hilton and Vietnam, Nicole decided to take on the world
Still at the top of her game, Nicole was most recently seen in the 2024 erotic thriller Babygirl.
The age gap romance has seen her nominated for Best Actress at the 2025 Golden Globes, slated to take place on January 5.
In her personal life, Nicole married Mission Impossible star Tom in a private ceremony in Telluride, Colorado, on Christmas Eve in 1990.
They adopted two children, Isabella Jane and Connor Antony, before divorcing in 2001.
She went on to tie the knot again with country superstar Keith Urban in 2006.
The couple are still together and live in Nashville with their two children Sunday Rose, 16, and Faith Margaret, 14.
According to IMDB, Nicole learned to ride a bike for her BMX Bandits role and was chosen from a field of 200 hopeful young actresses.
Angelo D’Angelo
Angelo played energetic BMX Bandit P.J alongside Nicole Kidman’s Judy in what was his debut big screen role to date.
But he has gone on to star in a whole string of Aussie TV and film projects in the years since rising to fame on BMX Bandits.
On the big screen, Angelo has been seen in the likes of ’80s Aussie comedies Emoh Ruo and the Coco Cola Kid.
Angelo also had a part in the 1990 Nadia Tass-directed comedy The Big Steal alongside Claudia Karvan and Ben Mendelsohn.
Angelo has also been a fixture on the small screen, having nabbed small roles in the likes of A Country Practice, Waer Rats, Heartbreak High, and Rake.
He was most recently seen Channel Seven drama series A Place To Call Home.
Angelo played energetic tic BMX Bandit P.J alongside Nicole Kidman’s Judy in what was his debut big screen role
The acting bug that bit Angelo has stuck with him for life, with the actor boasting a decades-long career in film and television
James Lugton
James, as Goose, rounded out the BMX bandits gang and, like Angelo, the film was also his first ever role on the big screen.
Since his auspicious debut, James has forged a long career as a character actor on Aussie small and big screens.
He has appeared in the likes of popular soaps A Country Practice and All Saints and played three different characters – Simon Henderson, Dr. Jonathan Fitzsimmons, and Greg Moro – on iconic series Home and Away.
Speaking to Women’s Day back in 2012, James revealed he did not envy his former co-star Nicole, despite her A-list status.
‘I’d love the fortune!, but not that degree of high-intensity fame,’ he said.
‘She’s in the spotlight 24/7. That kind of unrelenting attention is not for me.’
James, as Goose, rounded out the BMX bandits gang and, like Angelo the film was also his big screen debut
Since his auspicious debut, James has forged a long career as a character actor on Aussie small and big screens
Over the years, James has been full of praise for his co-star Nicole, admitting they had a great time working together on set
James was also full of praise for his co-star, admitting they had a great time working together on set.
‘Nicole was great to work with,’ James said. ‘She was 15 and I was 16 when we made Bandits.
‘We mucked around a lot between takes – she was very sweet with a great sense of fun.’
David Argue
One of Australia’s most recognisable character actors, David played the hapless criminal Whitey in BMX Bandits.
Along with Moustache and The Boss, Whitey launches a plot to nab $1.5million in a payroll heist, kicking off the action in the Aussie blockbuster.
David came to the production with a string of film and TV credits already under his belt.
He made his on-screen debut in 1977 as Sunny Martin in Australian soap opera, The Restless Years.
One of Australia’s most recognisable character actors, David played the hapless criminal Whitey (r), who along with Moustache and The Boss, plan to nab $1.5million in a payroll heist
Following his stint playing Nicole’s antagonist, David has boasted many big screen roles including in 1985’s The Coca Cola Kid and the 1993 spoof Hercules Returns
He also had a career-defining role in the classic Australian WWI film Gallipoli, playing the laconic Snowy alongside stars Mel Gibson and Mark Lee.
Following his stint playing Nicole’s antagonist, David has boasted many big screen roles including in 1985’s The Coca Cola Kid and the 1993 spoof Hercules Returns.
Angela Bishop
She might be best known as an entertainment reporter and host of Channel Ten’s Studio 10, but Angela Bishop also had a blink-and-you’ll-miss it role in BMX Bandits.
While interviewing Nicole in 2021, Angela reminded her one-time co-star of her ‘crucial’ part in the film.
‘I was the third extra on the left at the Waterworks,’ Angela revealed, while showing a scene from the movie.
In it, a very young Angela – who is also the daughter of former Speaker of the House Of Representatives Bronwyn Bishop – could be seen in the background.
She might be best known as an entertainment reporter and host of Channel Ten’s Studio 10, but Angela Bishop also had a blink-and-you’ll-miss it role in BMX Bandits
While interviewing Nicole in 2021, Angela reminded her one-time co-star of her ‘crucial’ part in the film in a humorous exchange
‘Still very important,’ Nicole joked of her role. ‘Wouldn’t have worked without you.’
It wasn’t Angela’s only film role, either, with the presenter also nabbing a part as an uncredited spectator in the 1984 Kennedy-Miller miniseries Bodyline.
She also played a Channel Ten reporter in the 2011 comedy A Few Best Men and appeared in four episodes of the legendary US soap The Bold And The Beautiful.
However, she has more notably carved out a hugely successful career as a TV presenter and is now best-known as Network 10’s entertainment editor.
