David Gulpilil (Gurlpiril is linguistically correct though he is sometimes credited as David Gumpilil) (b. July 1, 1953), is an indigenous Australian traditional dancer and actor. He is a Yolngu man of Mandhalpuyngu language group. [1] July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Arnhem Land is an area of 97,000 km² in the north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, Australia. ... Capital Darwin Government Const. ... The Australian Film Institute Awards (often abbreviated to AFI Awards) is an annual awards ceremony administered by the Australian Film Institute, held in late November or early December. ... The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. ... The Tracker is an Australian film produced in 2002. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Australian Aborigines are the indigenous peoples of Australia. ... jus like my ass For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Image:Some aboriginal communities in the northern territory australia. ...

His first starring role was Walkabout. Walkabout is a 1971 British film set in Australia. ...

A portrait of David Gulpilil by Craig Ruddy won the 2004 Archibald Prize, Australia's best known art prize. Craig Ruddy (born August 8 1968, Forestville, Sydney) is an Australian artist. ... Marcus Willss winning painting in 2006, The Paul Juraszek Monolith, was based on this print by an earlier Marcus, Marcus Gheeraerts The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize, and is the most prominent of all arts prizes, in Australia. ...

Early life

As a young boy, David Gulpilil was an accomplished hunter, tracker and ceremonial dancer. Unlike many indigenous people of his generation, Gulpilil spent his childhood in the bush, outside the range of Anglo-Australian influences. There, he received a traditional upbringing in the care of his family. He attended the mission school at Maningrida in Australia's North East Arnhem Land. When he came of age, Gulpilil was initiated into the Mandhalpuyngu tribal group. His skin-group totemic animal is the eagle and his homeland is Marwuyu. After appearing in his first film, he added English to several tribal languages in which he was already fluent. Maningrida is a self-governing indigenous community in the heart of the Arnhem Land region of Australias Northern Territory. ... Arnhem Land is an area of 97,000 km² in the north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, Australia. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

His First Film

Gulpilil's extraordinary skill as a tribal dancer caught the attention of British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg, who had come to Maningrida scouting locations for a forthcoming film. Roeg promptly cast the fifteen year old unknown to play a principal role in his internationally acclaimed motion picture Walkabout, which first screened in 1970. Gulpilil's on-screen charisma was such that he became an instant celebrity. He traveled to distant lands, mingled with famous people and was presented to heads of state. During these travels to promote the film, he met and was impressed with John Lennon, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Muhammed Ali, and Bruce Lee. Nicolas Jack Roeg, born on August 15, 1928 in London, is an internationally-known cinematographer and film director. ... Walkabout is a 1971 British film set in Australia. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Robert Nesta Bob Marley OM (February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, guitarist, and political activist. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Other people with this name: Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Mehemet Ali (Turkey) Muhammad Ali-Haj (born January 17, 1942 as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. ... Bruce Lee (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng; Cantonese Yale: Léih Síulùhng; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Chinese American martial artist, philosopher, instructor, and martial arts actor widely regarded as one of the most influential martial artists of the twentieth century. ...

Life in the Arts

After his high profile performance in Walkabout, Gulpilil went on to appear in many more films and television productions.

Perhaps the most renowned traditional dancer in his country, he has organized troupes of dancers and musicians and has performed at festivals throughout Australia including the prestigious Darwin Australia Day Eisteddfod dance competition, which he won four times.

In addition to his career in dance, music, film and television, Gulpilil is also an acclaimed storyteller. He has written the text for two volumes of children's stories based on Yolngu beliefs. These books also feature photographs and drawings by Australian artists and convey Gulpilil's reverence for the landscape, people and traditional culture of his homeland. Gulpilil's latest artistic triumph is his appearance in an autobiographical stage production in March of 2004 at the Adelaide Festival of Arts 2004.

Struggles Between Two Worlds

During his career, Gulpilil has encountered racism and discrimination at the hands of some of the agencies and individuals that have employed him. His talent as a dancer and film actor has proved lucrative to others, yet he himself has failed to receive financial compensation equal to that of other featured players. For instance, he played a substantial speaking (and dancing) role in the film Crocodile Dundee but he was only paid $10,000 total for his work.[2] This film went on to earn millions in worldwide distribution and is still bringing in cash for its producers. Manifestations Slavery · Racial profiling · Lynching Hate speech · Hate crime · Hate groups Genocide · The Holocaust · Armenian Genocide · Pogrom Ethnocide · Ethnic cleansing · Race war Religious persecution · Gay bashing Blood libel · Black Legend Pedophobia · Ephebiphobia Movements Discriminatory Aryanism · Neo-Nazism · Ku Klux Klan National Party (South Africa) American Nazi Party Kahanism · Supremacism Anti... Manifestations Slavery · Racial profiling · Lynching Hate speech · Hate crime · Hate groups Genocide · The Holocaust · Armenian Genocide · Pogrom Ethnocide · Ethnic cleansing · Race war Religious persecution · Gay bashing Blood libel · Black Legend Pedophobia · Ephebiphobia Movements Discriminatory Aryanism · Neo-Nazism · Ku Klux Klan National Party (South Africa) American Nazi Party Kahanism · Supremacism Anti... Crocodile Dundee is a 1986 Australian comedy film set in the Australian Outback in the area around Walkabout Creek and in New York City. ...

Gulpilil has struggled personally with alcoholism and depression. After a period of incarceration for substance abuse-related offences, Gulpilil returned to his family and friends at Ramingining and reconnected with his spiritual roots. Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... Clinical depression (also called major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression when compared to bipolar disorder) is a state of intense sadness, melancholia or despair that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ... Ramingining is a village in Northern Territory, Australia, about 400 km east of Darwin. ...

Legal Cases

Offensive Weapons Charges

On July 9, 2006, Gulpilil was staying at the home of Vaughan Williams in Darwin, when an argument started over his drinking. (Williams' home had a "no alcohol policy".[3]) Williams asked Gulpilil, his wife and their friend (referred to as "JJ") to leave his home. During the argument, Williams and his friend allegedly armed themselves with a totem pole and a garden hoe. In response, Gulpilil produced a machete.[4] July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 175 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Darwin is the capital city of the Australian Territory of the Northern Territory. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A Gitxsan pole (left) and Kwakwakawakw pole (right) at Thunderbird Park in Victoria, British Columbia. ... Agricultural square bladed hoe. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Nobody was hurt in the altercation, however Gulpilil was charged with carrying an offensive weapon. On January 10, 2007, he was found not guilty, as the machete was deemed to be for cultural use. The magistrate found: January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ...

The defendant is an artist and a carver. He used the machete to carve didgeridoos, totem poles and strip stringy bark for paintings, [...] There is also evidence he used it to help him build shelters while out bush, like he had done shortly before arriving in Darwin. This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

—Magistrate Tanya Fong Lim, [5]

Domestic Violence Allegations

On March 30, 2007, a Darwin magistrate imposed a 12-month domestic violence order against Gulpilil over an alleged incident which took place against his wife on December 28, 2006. Gulpilil has been ordered not to "assault or threaten to assault Miriam Ashley directly or indirectly", and to stay away from her while drinking.[6] March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (90th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... December 28 is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 3 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Gulpilil Today

David Gulpilil continues to find himself torn between two worlds. On the one hand, he is said to have committed the worst of tribal offences and is banned from returning to his community. On the other hand, he has shown glimmers of hope and salvation in recent years. For example, he is said to have rededicated himself to the service of his community with particular focus on the problems of Aboriginal youth. He has given much of his earnings to the Aborigine tribes. At a conference in Adelaide in the summer of 2000, Gulpilil performed traditional dances and shared his recovery story with hundreds of indigenous young people. He continues to provide much-needed mentorship to them, while lending his support to social and political causes such as the pursuit of tribal land claims for indigenous people. He joins other Australian artists in calling for government recognition of and compensation for the suffering of the "Stolen Generation" - children of mixed European and Aboriginal parentage who were forcibly removed from their indigenous families and placed in mission schools or with white adoptive parents far from their kin and homelands. The Stolen Generation (or Stolen Generations) is a term used to describe the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, usually of mixed descent, who were removed from their families by Australian government agencies and church missions, under various state acts of parliament, denying the rights of parents and making...

A documentary about his life, Gulpilil: One Red Blood, was aired on ABC in 2003. The title comes from a quote by Gulpilil: “We are all one blood. No matter where we are from, we are all one blood, the same”. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ...

Gulpilil's latest film, Ten Canoes, won the Cannes Special Jury Prize award at the 2006 Cannes Festival. The prize-winning, low-budget film, based on 1,000-year-old traditional story of misplaced love and revenge, features non-professional indigenous actors speaking their local dialect. Gulpilil collaborated with the director, Rolf de Heer, urging him to make the film, and although he ultimately withdrew from a central role in the project for "complex reasons," [7] Gulpilil also provided the voice of the storyteller for the film. De Heer directed Gulpilil in another film, The Tracker (2002). Ten Canoes is a 2005 motion picture starring the Yolngu people of Ramingining, who speak Yolngu matha. ... The Cannes Film Festival is the worlds most prestigious film festival, first held from September 20 to October 5, 1946 in the resort town of France. ... Rolf de Heer (born 4 May 1951) is an Australian Film director, writer and producer. ... The Tracker is an Australian film produced in 2002. ...

Selected filmography

• Walkabout (1971)
• Storm Boy (1976), Fingerbone
• The Last Wave (1977), Chris Lee
• The Right Stuff (1983)
• Crocodile Dundee (1986), Neville Bell
• Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002), Moodoo
• The Tracker (2002)
• The Proposition (2005)
• Ten Canoes (2006)

Walkabout is a 1971 British film set in Australia. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Storm Boy is a 1976 Australian film, based on the childrens book by Colin Thiele about a boy and his pelican. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... The Last Wave is a 1977 film directed by Peter Weir. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The Right Stuff is a 1979 book (ISBN 0374250332) by Tom Wolfe, and a 1983 film adapted from the book. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Crocodile Dundee is a 1986 Australian comedy film set in the Australian Outback in the area around Walkabout Creek and in New York City. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rabbit-Proof Fence is an Australian film based on the book of the same name by Doris Pilkington Garimara allegedly based on historical events about three young half-caste Aboriginal girls who ran away from a Western Australian settlement in which they were placed in 1931, in order to return... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The Tracker is an Australian film produced in 2002. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The Proposition is a 2005 movie directed by John Hillcoat and written by Nick Cave. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ten Canoes is a 2005 motion picture starring the Yolngu people of Ramingining, who speak Yolngu matha. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Television

• The Timeless Land (1980), Bennelong
• Naked Under Capricorn (1989), Activity

1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Portrait (signed W.W.) thought to depict Bennelong. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Website
• David Gulpilil at the Internet Movie Database