Famed Australian Indigenous actor David Gulpilil dies at 68

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s most acclaimed Indigenous actor, David Gulpilil, has died of lung cancer, a government leader said on Monday. He was 68 years old. Gulpilil found his widest audiences with his roles in the 1986 hit film “Crocodile Dundee” and in director Baz Luhrmann’s 2008 epic “Australia” in a career that spanned five decades. He was often described as a bridge between Indigenous Australia and the outside world who never fit comfortably in either place. Gulpilil was a 16-year-old ceremonial dancer performing at an Indigenous mission in 1969 when he met British director Nicolas Roeg, who would launch his film career with his first movie, “Walkabout”, two years later.