David Gulpilil, the indigenous Australian actor whose career spanned six decades, has died at 68.
According to Variety, Gulpilil was diagnosed with lung cancer four years ago.
Gulpilil first caught the attention of filmmakers worldwide after a breakthrough performance in Nicolas Roeg’s 1971 classic “Walkabout,” in which he played a boy in the Outback who encounters and protects a pair of city kids who have been left for dead in the harsh terrain.
He went on to appear in a number of international film and TV productions including “The Last Wave,” “Crocodile Dundee,” “The Right Stuff,” “The Leftovers,” “The Proposition” and “Rabbit-Proof Fence.”
“It is with deep sadness that I share with the people of South Australia the passing of an iconic, once-in-a-generation artist who shaped the history of Australian film and Aboriginal representation on screen — David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu (AM),” South Australia’s Premier Steven Marshall said in a statement.
“David Gulpilil was from the Mandhalpingu clan of the Yol?u people, and was raised in the traditional ways in Arnhem Land. In his later years he was a resident of Murray Bridge. He was a brother, son, friend, father, grandfather and husband. An actor, dancer, singer and painter, he was also one of the greatest artists Australia has ever seen.”
“David Gulpilil’s life was not without its struggles — he encountered racism and discrimination, and lived with the pressures of the divide between his traditional lifestyle and his public profile,” Marshall said.
After his cancer diagnosis, Gulpilil started work on a documentary about his life and career. “My Name is Gulpilil,” the first movie he was credited as a producer, was released earlier this year.
“He was a man who loved his land and his culture, and he was a man who took it to the world,” Marshall said.
He is survived by his two sisters, two daughters and two sons.
