David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu

Acclaimed actor, singer and painter David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu passed away in November 2021, and is remembered as "one of the greatest artists Australia has ever seen." Announcing the news on 29 November, South Australian Premier Steven Marshall described him as "an iconic, once-in-a-generation artist who shaped the history of Australian film and Aboriginal representation on screen".

Gulpilil, from the Mandhalpingu clan of the Yolngu people, earned his breakout role in Walkabout in 1971 and went on to star in Mad Dog Morgan, Storm Boy, Crocodile Dundee and Rabbit-Proof Fence. In 1987, he was included in the Queen's Birthday Honours List and awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for his services to the arts.

After being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017 and given six months to live, he did not expect to live beyond the filming of My Name is Gulpilil, a documentary that tells his life story, but he ended up being front and centre at the premiere in 2021, where he earned a standing ovation.

(from Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Nov 2021)

Filmography

	GULPILIL » David Gulpilil lives a Spartan and demanding life in tribal Arnhem land. The film shows David at home in Ramingining in Australia's Northern Territory and in his other life as a respected film actor...
	MY NAME IS GULPILIL » “I’m an actor, I’m a dancer, I’m a singer and also, a painter. This film is about me. This is my story of my story...