Cul Cullen
Cul Cullen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frederick Charles Cullen[1] c.1934 |
| Died | December 7, 1982 |
| Occupations | Actor, writer, cartoonist |
| Family | Max Cullen (brother) Adam Cullen (cousin) |
Fred Cullen (~1934 – 7 December 1982), credited as Cul Cullen and Fred 'Cul' Cullen, was an Australian writer, actor and cartoonist.
Career
[edit]Cullen began his career working as a press artist for Australian Consolidated Press (ACP), at The Telegraph for two years. He also later worked as a press artist on The Sydney Morning Herald.[1]
In the early 1950s, Cullen began illustrating cartoons for The Bulletin, before going on to write and draw 'Oscar Comic' ("The World's Funniest Detective") for Young's Merchandising.[1] During the 1960s, he drew comics for the Kings Cross Whisper and the following decade, created 'Fred the Fisherman' for Fishing News.[1] In 1974, he devised The Adventures of the Jolly Swagman, which was distributed via Ampol service stations.[1]
Cullen's television career began with a two year stint as an art director at ATN, before working for Crawford Productions as a set designer for three years. He then began writing and directing documentaries,[1] before undertaking screenwriting roles for 1976 miniseries Australians at War, series The Outsiders (1976) and classic Australian film The Man from Snowy River (1982).[2][1] He was also a writer for police procedural series Homicide, including the 1973 episode "The Friendly Fellow", in which he also starred.[3] He won two Logie Awards, for acting and writing, for this episode.[4] He also won several other Logies[5][6] and a Penguin Award.[7][2][8]
Cullen's other acting credits included Over There, The Comedy Game, Snake Gully with Dad and Dave, The Spoiler,[3] Matlock Police, Division 4,[8] Holiday and The Box.[9]
In the mid-1970s, Cullen released an album titled Sometimes through Earth featuring songs and monologues.[10] In the late 1970s, he also made commercials, for brands including Polytex Polyfilla and Berger Paints.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Cullen's nickname 'Cul' came from newspaper cartoons he wrote – the smaller ones were signed 'Cul' and the larger ones 'Cullen'.[11]
Cullen had two children – a son and a daughter.[12] His third wife was Jenny Irvine, a journalist.[12] His younger brother Max Cullen (born 1940), is a retired actor.[13] He was also a cousin of Archibald Prize-winning artist Adam Cullen.
Death
[edit]Cullen died age 48, on 7 December 1982, at his home in the Colo Valley, north-west of Sydney. His cause of death was a heart attack. He was survived by his wife Jenny and his two children.[12]
Awards
[edit]| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Homicide (episode: "The Friendly Fellow") | Logie Awards | Best Script | Won | |
| Homicide (episode: "The Friendly Fellow") | Logie Awards | Outstanding Single Acting Performance | Won | ||
| 1975 | Homicide (episode: "The Fireworks Man") | Logie Awards | Best Script | Won | [5] |
| 1977 | Australians at War | Logie Awards | Best Documentary Script | Won | [6] |
| Australians at War | Penguin Awards | Best Documentary Script | Won | [7] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Fred Cullen". ausreprints.net.au. Retrieved 3 November 2026.
- 1 2 "Cul Cullen, actor and writer", The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 December 1982
- 1 2 "Actor writes tense script", The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 July 1973
- ↑ Matthews, Kate. "Homicide – The Friendly Fellow (1973)". Australian Screen. National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Sigley is top TV personality", The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 March 1975
- 1 2 "Logies for Lane, Little", The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 March 1977
- 1 2 "Alternative's actors win Penguin", The Age, 7 November 1977
- 1 2 "Death of Cul Cullen", The Canberra Times, 9 December 1982 – via Trove
- ↑ "Cul Cullen's Holiday", The Age, 16 October 1974
- ↑ Forester (2 January 1975), "Made any dinkum records lately", The Age
- ↑ Ryan, Michael (16 October 1974), "Cul's no matinee idol, but he is a theatrical success", The Age
- 1 2 3 "Death of Cul Cullen". The Canberra Times. 9 December 1982. p. 10. Retrieved 3 November 2026 – via National Library of Australia / Trove.
- ↑ "Max Cullen – Max's Method". AustLit.
External links
[edit]- Cul Cullen at IMDb
- Biographical cuttings on Cul Cullen, actor, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals at the National Library of Australia