This essay documents and analyses the work of actor Max Cullen on stage, television and in feature film. It explores Cullen's early life and training with Hayes Gordon and Cullen's reputation as an 'anti-actor' in the context of his own attitude and approach to acting as an Australian. The essay explores Cullen's interest and identification with iconic Australian figures such as Lennie Lower and Henry Lawson through his own devised performances of these writers. The essay also explores Cullen and the New Wave, Cullen's work in the plays of Patrick White and his many roles in feature film.