He was known for his roles in the films Walkabout (1971), Storm Boy (1976), The Last Wave (1977), Crocodile Dundee (1986), Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002), The Tracker (2002), and Australia (2008).

A skilled dancer, he was noticed by British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg, who cast him in his first feature film role in Walkabout (1971).

After that, he attended the school at Maningrida in North East Arnhem Land,[4][6] where he was assigned the English name "David".

[4] In 1969, Gulpilil's skill as a tribal dancer caught the attention of British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg, who had come to Maningrida scouting locations for a forthcoming film.

[5] Gulpilil's on-screen charisma, combined with his acting and dancing skills, was such that he became an instant national and international celebrity.

[6] During these travels to promote the film, he met and was impressed with John Lennon, Bob Marley, Bruce Lee, Marlon Brando, and Jimi Hendrix.

The low-budget film, based on a 1,000-year-old traditional story of misplaced love and revenge, features non-professional Aboriginal actors speaking their local language.

It included commentary from former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, former Greens leader Bob Brown, and David Hicks, then a detainee at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp on Cuba.

[16] In this film, Gulpilil narrates the story of his life, from when he was a child living on country; the arrival of the first white men ("ghosts"), in the form of missionaries; through The Intervention, and the introduction of the BasicsCard.

[5] In March 2004, he performed in the autobiographical stage production, Gulpilil at the Adelaide Festival of Arts, and received standing ovations.

[17][18] This work, co-written with Reg Cribb, and directed by Neil Armfield, was based on stories of his life assembled into a script.

These included tales from the making of Walkabout, performing at Buckingham Palace, and inadvertently causing a bomb scare at Cannes.

[21]) The conference included discussions of cultural and intellectual property rights and copyright issues for Australian Indigenous dancers.

These books also feature photographs and drawings by Australian artists, and convey Gulpilil's reverence for the landscape, people and traditional culture of his homeland.

[24][25] King brown snake with blue tongue lizard at Gulparil waterhole, painted by Gulpilil in 2013–14, is in the Art Gallery of South Australia's collection.

The award was in the Un Certain Regard section, a part of the festival that emphasises original, individual points of view and innovative film-making.

[38] In June 2021, Ngarrindjeri-Arrernte artist Thomas Readett created a huge permanent mural on the eastern wall of the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute in Adelaide.

The exhibition was expressly created to honour and celebrate his life, and to bring him comfort as he is being treated a long way from home, yearning for "culture, language and kin".

On 2 December 2021, a statement was posted by Tandanya on Facebook on behalf of the Yolngu community and Gulpilil's kin:[53]David was an inimitable talent who ‘walked between two worlds’, that of his Country and Culture, and that of the film world, placing him in a unique position regarding posthumous naming cultural practice.

[55][56] However, he was found not guilty after the judge accepted that the machete was used for cultural purposes, including carving didgeridoos, and had not been intended for use as a weapon.

[58] In December 2010, Gulpilil was charged with aggravated assault against Ashley, with the court hearing that he had thrown a broom at her, fracturing her arm.

[35][37] Seven children survived him: Jida (a musician and actor),[60] Milan, Makia, Andrew, Jamie, Phoebe and Malakai.

[50][61] Several members of his family are artists, including his twin sister (yapa), Mary Dhalapany, a leading weaver; his brother, Peter Minygululu, known for his story-telling and detailed artworks; and former wife Robyn Djunginy, who was known for her bottle paintings.