Jack Thompson AM (b. 1940), actor, is the face of 1970s Australian screen culture, having appeared in television series like Homicide and Spyforce, and seminal films including Wake in Fright (1971), Sunday Too Far Away (1975) and The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith (1978). He won an AFI award and was named best supporting actor at Cannes for his performance in Breaker Morant (1980), which was followed by roles in The Man from Snowy River (1982) and Burke and Wills (1985). Since The Sum of Us (1994), he has worked on numerous other local and international films including Australia (2008), Mao's Last Dancer (2009), The Great Gatsby (2013) and High Ground (2020). In 2007, he established the Jack Thompson Foundation to support employment, housing and sustainability programs in East Arnhem Land. He received an honorary doctorate for his work with the Gumatj people in 2012.
Badimaya artist and activist Julie Dowling is known for her powerful social realist works which examine subjects such as the Stolen Generations and injustices against First Nations peoples. It is unusual for Dowling to make portraits that are unrelated to her own history and cultural heritage, but she was inspired to make this portrait of Thompson after learning of his philanthropic work and his advocacy for land rights and social justice.
Purchased 2015
© Julie Dowling/Copyright Agency, 2023
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