Ernest Ashley Dingo AM (born 31 July 1956) is an Indigenous Australian comedian, actor and TV presenter, originating from the Yamatji people of the Murchison region of Western Australia. He is a designated Australian National Living Treasure.
Early life Born on 31 July 1956, at Bullardoo Station,Ernie Dingo (1956 – ). Film Reference.com. Dingo was the second child of nine, with three brothers and five sisters. He grew up in Mullewa, Western Australia with his family.
He attended both Prospect Primary School and Geraldton High School in his hometown in Western Australia.
Dingo got his first big break in acting after moving to Perth and meeting Richard Walley, with whom he played basketball in a local team. He then went on to play state league first division for the East Perth Hawks. He completed an apprenticeship in sign writing.
Career Dingo rose to fame when he collaborated with Richard Walley to create a public performance of the Welcome to Country ceremony in Perth in 1976, after dancers from the Pacific islands would not perform without one. As an Australian National Living Treasure,National Living Treasures – Current List, Deceased, Formerly Listed, National Trust of Australia (NSW), 22 August 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2023. Archived 19 September 2014 he promoted the Generation One "Hand Across Australia", which was a promotion for Indigenous recognition and equal rights.
Film Dingo's film career began in the early 1980s and he appeared regularly on screen through the 1990s. He starred in the title role in the 1987 docu-drama biopic Tudawali and appeared in Bruce Beresford's 1987 drama The Fringe Dwellers. He had a major supporting role in the international comedy blockbuster Crocodile Dundee II in 1988. He appeared as himself in the 1989 comedy Cappuccino and had a major role in the 1991 Wim Wenders film Until the End of the World. In 1993 he starred in Blackfellas and had a lead role in 1996's Dead Heart. In 1998 he starred in Somewhere in the Darkness. In 2010 he returned to the silver screen with a role in the Aboriginal musical Bran Nue Dae along with Jessica Mauboy and Geoffrey Rush.
Television and other appearances Dingo's first minor big break in television was in 1989 in the first season of Channel 7 sketch comedy TV show Fast Forward (1989–1992).
As an actor, he has also appeared in many Australian television series such as Blue Heelers, The Flying Doctors, Heartbreak High and Rafferty's Rules. He appeared in the TV mini-series The Cowra Breakout (1984), A Waltz Through the Hills (1987), (for which he won an AFI Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama) and Kings in Grass Castles (1997), as well as co-starring with Cate Blanchett in the Australian television drama series Heartland (known as Burned Bridges in the United States).
He hosted the television program The Great Outdoors for 16 years from its beginning in 1993 to its end in 2009.
Dingo narrated the Indigenous segment of the 2000 Olympic Games opening ceremony in Sydney, New South Wales.
In May 2007, Dingo appeared as one of the celebrity performers on the celebrity singing competition reality show It Takes Two. Dingo also hosted the first series of No Leave, No Life, on Channel Seven.
In February 2012 Dingo and his family were featured in episode three of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) documentary series Family Confidential.
He appears in an episode of Serangoon Road, an Australian-Singaporean television drama series which premiered on 22 September 2013 on the ABC and HBO Asia. Also in 2013, Dingo plays a Vietnam veteran, a retired Army drill sergeant facing his demons in episode six of the second series of Redfern Now ("Dogs of War"). The episode was shown at the Adelaide Film Festival in October 2013. In 2018 he played Keith Groves in the TV miniseries Mystery Road.
Dingo hosts the free-to-air travel show Going Places with Ernie Dingo on NITV (National Indigenous Television) and SBS.NITV and SBS
In 2022 he performed in a celebrity tribute to Australian comedian and actor Paul Hogan, the Roast of Paul Hogan, which was broadcast on Australia's Seven Network.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1986 The Blue Lightning Pekeri TV movie 1987 Tudawali Robert Tudawali Docu-drama biopic 1987 The Fringe Dwellers Phil Feature film 1987 A Waltz Through the Hills Frank Smith TV movie. Won an AFI Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama 1988 Crocodile Dundee II Charlie Feature film 1988 Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller Dave Feature film 1988 Radio Redfern Self TV documentary film 1989 The Saint in Australia Tour Guide TV movie 1989 Cappuccino Self Feature film 1991 Until the End of the World Burt Feature film 1993 Blackfellas Percy Feature film 1993 Mr Electric Bill Short film 1995 Rainbow's End Jack of all Trades TV movie 1996 Dead Heart David / Pastor Feature film 1996 A Weekend in the Country Rupert TV movie 1998 Somewhere in the Darkness Cowboy Joe Feature film 1998 The Echo of Thunder Neil TV movie 2001 Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles Charlie (uncredited) Feature film 2010 Bran Nue Dae Stephen 'Uncle Tadpole' Johnson Feature film 2011 Jandamarra's War Narrator TV documentary film 2017 Rough Stuff Wild Dog Film Australia Day Floyd Mackenzie Feature film Boar Ernie Feature film2025KangarooDaveFilm TBA Trouble Down Under Duke the Dingo Animated film
Television Year Title Role Notes 1984 The Cowra Breakout Murray TV miniseries 1988 The Dirtwater Dynasty Billy (senior) TV miniseries 1988 Craig Goes Mad in Melbourne Self TV series 1988 Dreaming of Lords Presenter TV special 1989 Nullarbor Dreaming Voiceover TV special 1989 The First Australians Narrator TV documentary series, 1 episode 1989 Fast Forward Various characters TV series, season 1, 22 episodes 1989 Dolphin Cove Didge TV series 1990 Rafferty's Rules Wayne Williams TV series, 1 episode 1991 The Flying Doctors Eric TV series, 1 episode 1991 Clowning Around Jack Merrick TV miniseries 1992 Oondamooroo: A Profile of Ernie Dingo Self TV special 1992 Ultraman: Towards the Future Mudjudi TV miniseries, 1 episode 1992 Dearest Enemy TV series, 1 episode 1992 G.P. Eddie TV series, 1 episode 1993 Clowning Around 2 Jack Merrick TV miniseries 1993-2009 The Great Outdoors Host TV series 1994 Heartland (aka Burned Bridges) Vincent Burunga TV series, 13 episodes 1995 Heartbreak High Vic Morris TV series, 5 episodes 1997 Kings in Grass Castles Jimmy TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1997 Bullpitt! Self TV series, 1 episode 1997 Surprise Surprise Self TV series, 1 episode 1999 Kidspeak Co-host TV series 2000 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Narrator (Indigenous segment) TV special 2000/03 Blue Heelers Archie Garrett TV series, 2 episodes 2007 Good as Gold Host TV series 2007 It Takes Two Contestant TV series, 9 episodes 2008 Outback Wildlife Rescue Presenter TV series 2008 First Australians Performer TV miniseries, 1 episode 2009-10 No Leave, No Life Host TV series, season 1 2010 Spicks and Specks Guest TV series, 1 episode 2012 Family Confidential Himself (with family) TV documentary series, episode 3: "The Dingos" 2013 First Footprints Narrator TV documentary series, 4 episodes 2013 Serangoon Road Robbo TV series, 1 episode 2013 Redfern Now Ernie Johnson TV series, season 2, episode 6: "Dogs of War'" 2014 Talking Language with Ernie Dingo Host TV series 2015 Horizon Narrator TV series 2016 DNA Nation Self TV documentary series 2017 NITV Sunrise Ceremony Self TV special 2017 Newton's Law Frank Stewart TV miniseries, 1 episode 2018 Nyoongar Footy Magic Presenter TV documentary series 2018 Mystery Road Keith Groves TV miniseries, 5 episodes 2018 Who Do You Think You Are? Himself TV series, season 9, episode 7 2016-23 Going Places with Ernie Dingo Host TV series, 54 episodes 2022 Roast of Paul Hogan Himself TV special
Personal life Dingo's oldest daughter was born when he was 18; through her, he has two grandchildren.
Ernie Dingo married Sally Butler, then a sales representative for 2Day FM, in 1989.Huntington, Patty and Rachel Brown. He has 3 daughters, Zoii Dingo, Alyssa Dingo and Wilara Dingo."Dingo's secret daughter'. Sydney Morning Herald. 12 September 2004. The couple struggled to conceive their own children via IVF in the early 1990s and later adopted a daughter and also took care of one of Ernie's grandchildren. In his appearance on Family Confidential Dingo revealed that the adopted daughter's father was another Aboriginal actor who was Dingo's cousin, David Ngoombujarra. Dingo discovered in 2004 that he had a daughter from a brief relationship before his marriage.
Sally Dingo has authored two books about her husband and family, 2000's Ernie Dingo: King of the Kids and Dingo, The Story of our Mob in 1997. Their marriage broke down in 2011 and Dingo moved to Perth.
Dingo fathered twin boys in 2015.
Dingo is a prominent supporter of Australian rules football, and in particular the West Coast Eagles.
In 2020, Dingo toured regional Western Australia to speak to Indigenous groups, which had the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in Western Australia. This led to him receiving threats.
Dingo is a fan of basketball, and played at state level in 1973 for the Perth Wildcats. He joined the masters games to play the game for Australia in 2022.
Awards and honours Ernie Dingo was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1990, in recognition of his service to the performing arts.It's an Honour – Member of the Order of Australia
He received the AFI Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Tele feature for A Waltz Through the Hills in 1988, after being nominated the previous year for Tudawali. He has also been nominated for an AFI/AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama in 1994 for Heartland and in 2013 for Redfern Now.
Controversy In 2008, Dingo and radio host Kyle Sandilands had a feud after Sandilands used the line "a dingo ate my baby" in a promo leading up to Dingo's appearance on his show. The two patched things up, and KIIS FM donated $10,000 to the Mullewa Football Club in Western Australia.
In August 2010, the WA Police Force announced they had opened an investigation into reports of child abuse by Dingo. It was alleged that Dingo slapped and verbally abused an 11-year-old boy at Carnarvon Primary School, and then made abusive comments singling out that particular boy while speaking at a school assembly shortly afterward. Dingo denied the claims, saying: "I deny it, but until there is an outcome I can't really talk about it." He entered a plea of not guilty by endorsement in a letter to the court and a date of 3 February 2011 was set for trial in Carnarvon. However, on 18 April 2011, following a mediation session, the assault charge was dropped and the matter formally withdrawn.
In 2010, two women from New South Wales and Victoria claimed to have engaged in affairs with Dingo. It was subsequently rumoured that Ernie and Sally were living in an open marriage for the sake of their children.
References
Bibliography Dingo, Sally. Dingo, The Story of our Mob. Random House Australia, 1997. . Dingo, Sally. Ernie Dingo: King of the Kids. Random House Australia, 2000. .
External links