Maxwell Phillip Cullen[1] (born 29 April 1940) is an Australian stage and screen actor. He has appeared in many Australian films and television series but is best known for his role in the film Spider and Rose and the television series The Flying Doctors, Secret Valley and Love My Way.

Max Cullen
Born
Maxwell Phillip Cullen

(1940-04-29) 29 April 1940 (age 84)
OccupationActor
Years active1963–present
SpouseColleen Anne Fitzpatrick
Children2, including Katharine Cullen

Early life

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Cullen was born on 29 April 1940, in Wellington, New South Wales, to Alec Cullen, an electrical linesman and Lila Mary (nee Yale), when he was one year old his family moved to Lawson in the Blue Mountains. His older brother Fred Cullen was also an actor and screenwriter better known professionally as Cul Cullen (1934-1982)[1]

Career

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Cullen began his career as a painter and sculptor after training at Sydney's National Art School in 1956 and later studied at the Julian Ashton Art School with Brett Whiteley in 1959. His works have been exhibited regularly in solo and in group exhibitions and he has worked as an illustrator, cartoonist and layout artist on several magazines and newspapers.[2]

After seeing a play, he became interested in the acting profession and spent his formative years training under Hayes Gordon at the Ensemble Theatre, where he would subsequently appear in productions over a ten-year period, he also worked at the then newly established Nimrod Theatre.[1]


Cullen was a regular arts reporter on the Sunday current affairs television program. He has also worked as a professional and motivational speaker.

Since 2007, Cullen has performed Lawson, a one-man show based on the life of Australian poet Henry Lawson.[3][4]

Cullen had a role in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, alongside fellow Australian actors Hugh Jackman and Asher Keddie. He played "Owl Eyes" in the 2013 film, The Great Gatsby.

Personal life

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Cullen been married three times and has two daughters, one from each of his first two marriages. Married to actress Colleen Fitzpatrick from 1973–1987, they have one daughter, actress Katharine Cullen, born 9 June 1975, and one grandson William Richards, born 17 August 2013.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1966 Nightwait Milkbar customer
1969 You Can't See 'round Corners Peeper Feature film
1971 Stockade Rafaello Carboni Feature film
1972 The Office Picnic Paddy Feature film
1974 The Hotline TV movie
1975 Sunday Too Far Away Tim King Feature film
1977 Summerfield Jim Tate Feature film
1978 Bit Part TV movie
1978 Blue Fin Pensioner Feature film
1978 Cass TV movie
1979 The Odd Angry Shot Warrant Officer (uncredited) Feature film
1979 My Brilliant Career Mr. McSwatt Feature film
1979 Dimboola Mutton Feature film
1980 Hard Knocks Newman Feature film
1981 Hoodwink Factory clerk Feature film
1982 Starstruck Reg Feature film
1982 Running on Empty Rebel Feature film
1983 Midnite Spares Tomas Feature film
1983 With Prejudice Krawczyk Feature film
1983 The Return of Captain Invincible Italian Man Feature film
1984 Stanley: Every Home Should Have One Berger Feature film
1986 Charley's Web Charley O'Keefe TV movie
1986 Norm and Ahmed Norm Short film
1988 Incident at Raven's Gate Taylor Feature film
1988 Boundaries of the Heart Blanco White Feature film
1989 Luigi's Ladies Chef Feature film
1990 Call Me Mr. Brown Fibreglass Factory Foreman Feature film
1990 The Returning Father Donohue Feature film
1991 As Happy as Larry Bert
1992 Garbo Wal Feature film
1992 Mad Bomber in Love Sergeant Meggs Feature film
1992 Greenkeeping Tom Feature film
1993 Shotgun Wedding Rev. Arthur Hickey Feature film
1994 Lightning Jack Bart Feature film
1994 Spider and Rose Jack Feature film
1995 Rough Diamonds Magistrate Roy Feature film
1995 Billy's Holiday Billy Apples Feature film
1997 Kiss or Kill Stan Feature film
1999 In a Savage Land Douglas Stevens Feature film
2002 The Nugget Wally Feature film
2006 Jindabyne Terry Feature film
2007 December Boys Narrator / Adult Misty Feature film
2008 Australia Old Drunk Feature film
2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine Travis Hudson Feature film
2009 Possession(s) Paul
2010 Anyone You Want Glen
2010 Santa's Apprentice Humphrey (voice) Animated feature film

(English version)

2013 The Great Gatsby Owl Eyes Feature film
2016 Broke Cec Feature film
2016 Goldstone Old Timer Feature film
2018 Acute Misfortune Kevin Cullen Feature film
2020 Never Too Late Hank Feature film
2020 The Skin of Others Henry Lawson Documentary film

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1966-76 Homicide 8 roles TV series, 8 episodes
1967 Contrabandits Allen TV series, 1 episode
1968 Skippy Keeler TV series, 1 episode
1969 Riptide Gus / Chris / Rod TV series, 3 episodes
1969 Woobinda, Animal Doctor Johnno TV series, 1 episode
1970 The Link Men Mario Costello TV series, 1 episode
1971 Dead Men Running TV miniseries, 1 episode
1970-71 Mrs. Finnegan Hilton Harper TV series, 13 episodes
1971 The Comedy Game TV series, 1 episode
1972 Birds in the Bush The Miner TV series, 1 episode
1969-72 Division 4 Joe Kennedy / John Brody / Tom Shaw TV series, 3 episodes
1972 Boney Glen Shannon TV series, 1 episode
1972 Number 96 Ralph Finlayson TV series, 11 episodes
1971-73 Spyforce Barrow / Osgood TV series, 27 episodes
1973 Over There TV series, 1 episode
1973 The Evil Touch Policenan TV series, 1 episode
1974 Silent Number Cohen TV series, 1 episode
1975 The Unisexers TV series
1975 Scattergood: Friend of All Scattergood TV series, 5 episodes
1975 Shannon's Mob Vossif TV series, 1 episode
1973-76 Matlock Police The Mouth / Taylor / Brian Young TV series, 3 episodes
1976 Rush Billy Adams TV series, 1 episode
1976 McCloud Putney TV series, 1 episode
1976 Luke's Kingdom Tom Shipton TV miniseries, 1 episode
1976 Bluey Walter Curran TV series, 1 episode
1978 Young Ramsay Alec Thompson TV series, 1 episode
1978 Chopper Squad Harry TV series, 1 episode
1979 TV Follies Cheesy Parmesi / Cyrus P Sanders TV series
1980 Kingswood Country Donger Jackson TV series, 1 episode
1980 Australian Theatre Festival Terry TV series, 1 episode
1980 Trial by Marriage TV series, 1 episode
1980 The Timeless Land Byrne TV miniserie, 3 episodes
1980-83 Secret Valley Claude Cribbins TV series, 15 episodes
1981 Tickled Pink TV series, 1 episode
1981 Cornflakes for Tea Stan TV miniseries, 6 episodes
1981 Sunday Arts reporter TV current affairs series
1983 Kings TV series
1983 Scales of Justice Roach TV miniseries, 1 episode
1983 A Country Practice Arnold Mortimer TV series, 2 episodes
1984 The Last Bastion Eddie Ward TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1984 The Cowra Breakout Private Hook TV miniseries
1984 Carson's Law Wally Oates TV series, 2 episodes
1984 Bodyline Chooka (The Reporter) TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1985 Possession Harry Keane TV series
1985 The Flying Doctors Hurtle Morrison TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1986-87 The Flying Doctors Hurtle Morrison TV series, 22 episodes
1987 Vietnam Journalist TV miniseries, 1 episode
1987 Frontier Clark TV series, 3 episodes
1987 Rafferty's Rules Mr Lee TV series, 1 episode
1988 Act of Betrayal Quinn TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1989 Grim Pickings Inspector Toby TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1991 Police Rescue Ernie Kemp TV series, 1 episode
1992 Boys from the Bush Ted TV series, 1 episode
1992 / 1995 G.P. Basil Meagher / Eric Mackie TV series, 2 episodes
1994 The Damnation of Harvey McHugh Prime Minister Jim Hammond TV series, 1 episode
1995-2012 RPA Narrator TV series
1998 Kings in Grass Castles Mr Costello TV miniseries, 2 episodes
2001 McLeod's Daughters Sid Connolly TV series, 1 episode
2004-07 Love My Way Gerry Jackson TV series, 26 episodes
2004-09 All Saints Moses / Barney / Fawcett TV series, 4 episodes
2009 City Homicide Ray Stairmont TV series, 1 episode
2014 Rake Judge Coote TV series, 1 episode
2014 Old School Des TV miniseries, 1 episode
2014 Devil's Playground Father Joyce TV miniseries, 3 episodes
2016 Secret City Les Gordon TV series
2016 Doctor Doctor Martin TV series, 1 episode

As crew

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Year Title Role Type
1976 Rate of Exchange Writer Short film

Stage

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As actor

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Year Title Role Type
1963 The Physicists Ensemble Theatre
1964 The Thracian Horses Ensemble Theatre
1964 The Rehearsal Ensemble Theatre
1965 Photo Finish Ensemble Theatre
1966 The Death of Bessie Smith Ensemble Theatre
1966 The Shadow of a Gunman Ensemble Theatre
1967 Double Talk Ensemble Theatre
1967 Slow Dance on the Killing Ground Ensemble Theatre
1967 Sarah and the Bible Ensemble Theatre
1967 The Dirty Old Man Ensemble Theatre
1967 All Things Bright and Beautiful Ensemble Theatre
1967-68 Generation Ensemble Theatre
1968 A Singular Man Ensemble Theatre
1968-69 Fortune and Men's Eyes Anzac House Auditorium, Sydney with Ensemble Theatre
1970 We Bombed in New Haven Monash University, Playhouse, Canberra with Ensemble Theatre
1970 Face of a Man Majestic Cinemas, Sydney
1970 Skippy Saves Christmas Phillip Street Theatre
1971 Stockade Independent Theatre, Sydney
1971 Brer Rabbit University of NSW with Old Tote Theatre Company
1972 On Yer Marx: Bigotry V.C. Nimrod Theatre Company
1972 On Yer Marx: Housey Nimrod Theatre Company
1972 The Last Supper Show Nimrod Theatre Company
1973 Prison 73: The Chocolate Frog Nimrod Theatre Company
1973 Prison 73: The Old Familiar Juice Nimrod Theatre Company
1973 President Wilson in Paris Nimrod Theatre Company
1973 Hamlet Pram Factory, Playhouse, Canberra with Nimrod Theatre Company
1975 The Good Doctor Playhouse, Canberra, Monash University with Ensemble Theatre
1975 Sunday Too Far Away Tim King Festival Theatre, Adelaide
1975, 1977 The Cake Man Civilian Black Theatre Arts & Culture Centre, Bondi Pavilion
1976 Going Home Jim St Martins Theatre, Melbourne with Nimrod Theatre Company
1976 Martello Towers St Martins Theatre, Melbourne
1976 The Recruiting Officer Sergeant Kite Nimrod Theatre Company
1976 The Season at Sarsaparilla Ernie Boyle Sydney Opera House
1977 Dream Girl Herbert / Announcer / Mr Homes Bondi Pavilion with Currency Press
1977 The Propitious Kidnapping of the Cultured Daughter Dr. Bairnes Bondi Pavilion with Currency Press
1977 Big Toys Terry Legge University of NSW, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre with Old Tote Theatre Company
1978 Makassar Reef Silver Russell Street Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company
1979 How Sleep the Brave Lt Commander Harvey Ensemble Theatre
1980 The Death of Bessie Smith Ensemble Theatre
1980 The Siege of Frank Sinatra Leo Coote Stables Theatre with King O'Malley Theatre Company
1981 Hamlet Claudius Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company
1982 The Cake Man University of NSW with Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust & Australian Aboriginal Theatre Company
1982 The Stripper Kinselas with Sydney Theatre Company
1982 The Price Ensemble Theatre
1985-86 Sons of Cain Kevin Cassidy Playhouse, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Sydney, Space Theatre, Adelaide, Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane, Wyndham's Theatre, London with Melbourne Theatre Company
1986-88 Emerald City Sydney Opera House, Lyric Theatre, London with Sydney Theatre Company
1987 Siestas in a Pink Hotel Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
1988 A Streetcar Named Desire Her Majesty's Theatre Sydney, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane
1989 The Ham Funeral Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
1990 The Tempest Caliban Belvoir Street Theatre
1990 This Old Man Comes Rolling Home Tom Dockerty Russell Street Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company
1991 The Revenger's Tragedy Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company
1991 The Government Inspector Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company
1991 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Barney Seymour Centre
1992 Uncle Vanya Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company
1993 Humorists Read the Humorists Canberra Theatre with Comedy Summit
1994 A Cheery Soul Mr Custance / Mrs Jebb / Little Boy (Les) Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide with Queensland Theatre Company for Adelaide Festival of the Arts
1994 Hamlet Belvoir Street Theatre
1995 Flame of Freedom - Australia Remembers Brisbane Entertainment Centre
1996 As You Like It Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company
1996 The Alchemist Sir Epicure Mammon Belvoir Street Theatre
1997 Death of a Salesman Willy Loman Sydney Opera House
1997 Ngundalehla Godotgai (Waiting for Godot) Bangarra Studio Theatre
1998 Cloudstreet Sam Pickles Berth 9, Darling Harbour with Belvoir Theatre Company, Black Swan Theatre, Malthouse Theatre, Playhouse, Adelaide
1998 The Sunshine Boys Ensemble Theatre
1998 The Siege of Frank Sinatra Ensemble Theatre
1999 Burnt Piano Belvoir Street Theatre
2000 The Small Poppies Theo Belvoir Street Theatre for Sydney Festival
2000 The Great Man Terry Playhouse, Brisbane, Playhouse, Melbourne & national Australian tour with Queensland Theatre Company
2000 A Couple of Blaguards Frank McCourt Ensemble Theatre
2001 Ashes to Ashes Belvoir Street Theatre
2001 I Ought to Be in Pictures Ensemble Theatre
2001 Old Masters Gordon Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
2002 All My Sons Joe Keller Sydney Opera House
2002 Volpone Corbaccio Sydney Opera House
2002 Buried Child Dodge Belvoir Theatre Company
2003 Waiting for Godot Estragon Belvoir Theatre Company
2003 The One Day of the Year Alf Wharf Theatre, Riverside Theatres, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Laycock Street Theatre, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Darlinghurst Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
2003 Looking Up Lower Lennie Lower Darlinghurst Theatre
2004 Scenes from a Separation Lawrence Clifford Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company
2005 The Daylight Atheist Dan Moffat Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company, Space Theatre, Adelaide with State Theatre Company of South Australia, Glen Street Theatre
2005-06 A Couple of Blaguards Frank McCourt Seymour Centre, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
2007 Lawson: Demons and Dreams Henry Lawson Theatre Royal, Sydney, Athenaeum Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Newcastle Civic Theatre
2007 Love Lies Bleeding Alex Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company, Glen Street Theatre
2008 The Pig Iron People Kurt Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company
2010 Twelfth Night Feste National Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare Company
2013 How to Be (Or Not to Be) Lower Lennie Lower Street Theatre, Canberra [5]
2014 Bartleby Old Lawyer Street Theatre, Canberra with Aspen Island Theatre Company [6]
2016 King Lear Gloucester Roslyn Packer Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
2015-20 Dead Men Talking: A Two-Man Show of Verse, Yarns & Song Henry Lawson Humph Hall, Sydney, Blue Mountains Theatre, Mudgee Brewing Company, Henry Lawson Theatre, Werrington, Cooma Little Theatre, Sutherland Memorial School of Arts, Belconnen Arts Centre, City Diggers Club, Wollongong, Adelaide Fringe Festival[7][8]
2017 Dead Men Laughing Lennie Lower

As crew

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Year Title Role Type
1977 The Training Run Director / Designer Bondi Pavilion
1978 Kitty Howard Director Russell Street Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company

[1][9]

Awards and nominations

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Year Nominated work Award Category Result
1984 The Last Bastion Logie Award Best Supporting Actor Won
1986 The Flying Doctors Penguin Award Best Performance by an Actor Won
1990 The Tempest Sydney Theatre Critics Award Best Supporting Actor Won
1994 Spider and Rose Film Critics Circle Award Best Supporting Actor Won
1994 Spider and Rose AFI Award Best Supporting Actor Won
2005 Love My Way AFI Television Awards Best Actor in a Supporting or Guest Role in a Television Drama or Comedy Won [10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Max Cullen - Max's Method | AustLit".
  2. ^ Personalities-Max Cullen Archived 8 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Stateline NSW Max and Henry
  4. ^ Lawson album website Lawson Archived 28 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Max Cullen - Max's Method | AustLit".
  6. ^ "Bartleby | Stage Whispers".
  7. ^ "The bards are back in song and verse". 15 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Fringe Review: Dead Men Talking". 8 March 2020.
  9. ^ "AusStage".
  10. ^ "Television categories 1986–2009". AFI Award Winners. Australian Film Institute. 2009. Archived from the original on 20 September 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
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