Baykali Ganambarr facts for kids

Baykali Ganambarr is an actor and dancer from Elcho Island in Queensland, Australia. He is an Aboriginal Australian person. He became well-known for his role as a tracker in the 2018 movie The Nightingale.

Baykali Ganambarr's Early Life

Baykali Ganambarr was born on Elcho Island (also known as Galiwin'ku) in Queensland, Australia. He is part of the Yolngu people, an Aboriginal Australian group. He speaks Yolngu Matha, which is the language of his people.

His older sister, Rarriwuy Hick, is also an actress. She was in the TV show Cleverman.

Baykali Ganambarr's Acting and Dance Career

Baykali Ganambarr started his career by sharing videos of his dancing on YouTube. Later, he joined a dance group from Elcho Island called Djuki Mala.

While he was still dancing with Djuki Mala, he got his first acting job. This was for the movie The Nightingale. In the film, he played an Aboriginal Tasmanian tracker named Mangana, also known as Billy. The movie was shown at festivals in 2018 and came out in the US in 2019.

Performing in Big Name, No Blankets

In 2024, Ganambarr began performing in a stage musical called Big Name, No Blankets. This show was created by the Ilbijerri Theatre Company. It tells the story of how the Warumpi Band started and grew famous.

In the musical, Baykali Ganambarr plays the role of Sammy Butcher. He grew up with one of the band members, George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga. They used to go spear fishing with their families.

The show first opened in January 2024 at the Sydney Festival. Later that year, it was also performed at other big events. These included the RISING Festival in Melbourne, the Darwin Festival, and the Brisbane Festival. In October 2024, a smaller version of the show went on a tour to 16 prisons. This tour was supported by the Balnaves Foundation.

Awards and Recognition

Baykali Ganambarr has received several important awards for his acting.

• In 2018, he won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for his role in The Nightingale.
• He was also nominated for the 2019 AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the same movie.
• In 2021, he was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his part in the movie The Furnace.