# Max Cullen

Maxwell Phillip Cullen (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.

## Early life

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)

## Career

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.
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.
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.
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

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
### Film

| 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

| 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

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1976 | Rate of Exchange | Writer | Short film |

## Stage
### As actor

| 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 |
| 2014 | Bartleby | Old Lawyer | Street Theatre, Canberra with Aspen Island Theatre Company |
| 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 |
| 2017 | Dead Men Laughing | Lennie Lower | |

### As crew

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

## Awards and nominations

| 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 |