41 Facts About David Gulpilil

David Dhalatnghu Gulpilil was an Australian actor and dancer.

David Gulpilil was known for his roles in the films Walkabout, Storm Boy, The Last Wave, Crocodile Dundee, Rabbit-Proof Fence, The Tracker, and Australia.

David Gulpilil was a man of the Mandjalpingu clan of the Yolngu people, who are an Aboriginal people of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.

David Gulpilil spent his childhood in the bush, outside the range of non-Aboriginal influences.

David Gulpilil did not see a white man until he was 8 years old.

David Gulpilil received a traditional upbringing in the care of his family, until the death of his parents.

When he came of age, David Gulpilil was initiated into the Mandhalpuyngu tribal group.

David Gulpilil added this to his ability to speak several Aboriginal languages.

David Gulpilil taught Bob Marley how to play the didgeridoo, while Marley introduced him to "ganja".

David Gulpilil played a lead role in the commercially successful and critically acclaimed Storm Boy.

David Gulpilil "dominated" the film The Last Wave with his charismatic performance as Chris Lee, a conflicted urban tribal Aboriginal.

David Gulpilil was a major creative influence throughout his life in both dance and film.

David Gulpilil initiated and narrated the film Ten Canoes, which won a Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Cannes Festival.

David Gulpilil collaborated with the director, Rolf de Heer, urging him to make the film.

In 2014, David Gulpilil again collaborated with De Heer, this time sharing on screenwriting credits for Charlie's Country.

In 2015, David Gulpilil appeared in the documentary Another Country, directed by Molly Reynolds.

David Gulpilil often made serious criticisms hidden beneath his trademark humour.

David Gulpilil worked again with Reynolds when she directed a documentary about his life, My Name Is David Gulpilil, which premiered at the 2021 Adelaide Festival.

David Gulpilil was renowned for portraying Aboriginal culture before it became threatened by the white civilisations.

David Gulpilil became somewhat divorced from his own culture by his career in film.

David Gulpilil felt that he was stretched somewhere between the two, with "one tiptoe in champage and caviar, and the other in the dirt of his Dreamtime".

David Gulpilil performed on stage in The Cradle of Hercules at the Sydney Opera House in 1974; the Commonwealth Gala Performance in Brisbane in 1982 and the Message Sticks Film Festival in Sydney in 2002.

David Gulpilil won the prestigious Darwin Australia Day Eisteddfod dance competition four times.

David Gulpilil wrote the text for two volumes of children's stories based on Yolngu beliefs.

David Gulpilil was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1987, and the Centenary Medal in 2001.

David Gulpilil was nominated for this award in 1977 for Storm Boy.

David Gulpilil was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Rabbit-Proof Fence in 2002.

David Gulpilil was nominated for the Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play in 2004 for the stage production Gulpilil.

In 2013 David Gulpilil was the recipient of the Red Ochre Award, which is awarded annually by the Australia Council for the Arts to an outstanding Indigenous Australian artist for lifetime achievement.

In May 2014, David Gulpilil won a Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance in Rolf de Heer's film Charlie's Country.

In 2019, David Gulpilil was honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the 2019 NAIDOC Awards, and the Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement in the South Australian Ruby Awards.

At the 11th AACTA Awards, to be held on 8 December 2021, David Gulpilil will be officially awarded the Longford Lyell Award for his contribution to the Australian film industry; he had informally received the award at his home a month earlier.

David Gulpilil was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2017, and retired from acting in 2019.

David Gulpilil's illness prevented him from attending the 2019 NAIDOC Awards, where he was recognised with the lifetime achievement award.

David Gulpilil died at his home in Murray Bridge, South Australia, on 29 November 2021.

David Gulpilil wanted people to know his name, remember his work, and know his immense legacy to Australian cinema and Australian culture.

David Gulpilil wanted his storytelling through film to be shared, to be on the record for the generations to come.

David Gulpilil suffered from alcoholism, having been introduced to grog during filming of Walkabout.

In 2006, David Gulpilil was charged with carrying an offensive weapon after an altercation at the house of a friend in Darwin, when David Gulpilil had allegedly armed himself with a machete after he and his wife had been asked to leave the home by the homeowners, who had allegedly armed themselves with a totem pole and a garden hoe.

In December 2010, David Gulpilil was charged with aggravated assault against Ashley, with the court hearing that he had thrown a broom at her, fracturing her arm.

David Gulpilil's nephew, Bobby Bununggurr, is a singer, dancer, law man and reconciliation advocate.