Australian Film Institute Award, 1980, to Jack Thompson for his role of leading actor in the film Breaker Morant

View this record on the National Museum of Australia's website

Type: Awards
Date: 1980
Place: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Materials: Acrylic, Felted cloth - non specific, Metal - non specific
Collection: Jack Thompson collection
Accession number: 2003.0019.0001

Description

Australian Film Institute Award awarded to Jack Thompson in 1980. Four clear acrylic rectangular prisms on a silver metal base, green felt on bottom. Plaque attached to front of award engraved: "afi (insignia)/ AUSTRALIAN FILM INSTITUTION/ 1980/ AUSTRALIAN FILM AWARDS/ BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN/ ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE/ JACK THOMPSON/ FOR BREAKER MORANT."

About the collection

The Jack Thompson Collection comprises the 'Best Actor in a Lead Role' Award presented to Jack Thompson by the Australian Film Institute in 1980 for his portrayal of Major J F Thomas in the Boer War drama Breaker Morant. Jack Thompson has appeared in many feature films made in both Australia and the United States of America since making his film debut in 1968. This work has earned him many awards including a Best Supporting Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the 1980 Australian Film Institute Best Actor Award, both for his Major J F Thomas role. Jack Thompson's rise to film stardom paralleled the revival of the Australian film industry through the late-1970s and 1980s.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:26:38 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2025-02-17. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.