Jamie

Indigenous Australian Jamie Gulpilil is the son of David Gulpilil, the revered Australian dancer and actor. Jamie's interest in acting began when accompanying his father to various film shoots and film premieres. He was born and continues to live in Ramingining, north-eastern Arnhem Land. His first acting role was in Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr's acclaimed 2006 film, Ten Canoes. (To view the trailer for Ten Canoes, click here.)

The title of the film arose from discussions between de Heer and David Gulpilil about a photograph of ten canoeists poling across the Arafura Swamp, taken by anthropologist Donald Thomson in 1936. Ten Canoes is the first ever movie entirely filmed in Australian Aboriginal languages. The film, partly in colour and partly in black and white, is in docu-drama style. A narrator explains the story which overall in format is that of a morality tale.

Since Ten Canoes, Jamie has appeared in very minor roles in four other films: Crocodile Dreaming (2007), Dr. Plonk (2007), Australia (2008), and Charlie's Country (2013). In Australia, for instance, he is seen for a split second as one of three Aboriginal porters carrying the luggage of Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) upon her arrival to Darwin.

Jamie Gulpilil, therefore, remains best known for his leading role as both Dayindi and Dayindi's ancient ancestor Yeeralparilin in Ten Canoes, a film which The Stranger's Andrew Wright declares “a fairly amazing achievement: an engrossing, witty cultural document that doesn't feel staid in the least.”

In 2006 Jamie Gulpilil won the Deadly Award for Actor of the Year. From 1995 to 2014 The Deadlys celebrated Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. The following was first published on the website Deadly Vibe.

Jamie Gulpilil is perhaps the most unaffected actor ever to grace our screens. This humble young man with the famous father almost seemed to be wondering what all the fuss was about as he silently watched hubbub surrounding him on Deadlys night.

Despite being one of the biggest stars present at the Deadlys, you had the feeling that Jamie would have probably preferred to be somewhere else entirely, as he stood uncomfortably on stage with his fellow Ten Canoes cast and crew members to present the award for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment, then again as he took to the stage alone to accept his award as Actor of the Year. His brief, shyly spoken acceptance speech was almost inaudible – something that failed to faze an adoring audience, who greeted him with an ecstatic round of applause.

Twenty-two-year-old Jamie was born and continues to live in Ramingining in north-eastern Arnhem Land. Despite his lack of experience, Jamie is a natural in front of the camera, just like his dad. Also like his father, he has had to get used to the trappings of fame fairly quickly, after the runaway success of Ten Canoes saw his face plastered across posters and movie screens across the country and the world.

But success does not seem to have turned his head, nor does the experience seem to have changed this reserved young man at all. Although he was delighted by his win, when asked by a Sydney Morning Herald reporter how he would celebrate winning his award, he timidly told them he would probably just like to go hunting and fishing back home. So much for over the top movie star demands. This young man is as real as you can get.

Related Off-site Links:
Son Walks in Father's Footsteps – Australian Associated Press via The Age (December 8, 2006).
Actor Jamie Gulpilil Bashed by Teen Gang – Australian Associated Press via The Sydney Morning Herald (January 18, 2007).
Gulpilil’s Long Way Home – Derek Rielly (The Australian, September 21, 2019).

See also the previous posts: Lyriq | Philip | Don | LeBron | Jayjay | Donald | Geremy | Jerome | Solomon | Colin | Luis | Nyle | Philip | Charlie | Sukdeep | Rafael | Mon Bel Ami

Images: Photographers unknown (except images 16, 18 and 20 by Adam Taylor).