Wallaga Lake actor and filmmaker Warren Ngarrae Foster was just a young boy when he first saw actor David Dalaithngu featured in his 1976 film Storm Boy.
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Mr Foster, Djiringanj man of the Yuin Nation, said it was a distinct moment seeing an Indigenous person represented like that.
"When Storm Boy first came out I was so proud to see an Indigenous person on film that I wanted to be like that, representing my culture on the big screen or TV," he said.
David Dalaithngu died at his home in Murray Bridge, South Australia, on Monday November 30 aged 68 after a long battle with lung cancer.
Mr Foster said Dalaithngu had a huge impact on his own career, which includes bringing cultural dance to Yuin youth, making films on and off country, and acting in a number of films.
"He had a big influence on me and what I do like with acting, dancing, and culture. He will be really missed by the whole industry," said Mr Foster.
Watching Dalaithngu's films was a big part of growing up for Mr Foster who was inspired by his work both on and off screen.
"He did a film with my uncle Burnum Burnum who was an actor and I was so proud because they both had big influences on me," he said.
In 1992 Mr Foster started his own acting career when he began studying improvisation and acting at Swinburne University of Technology.
Although his studies were cut short after a family tragedy, the experience left him eager explore the opportunities of cultural dance and film.
In the mid-90s, Mr Foster and his nephew formed a dance group called the Gulaga Dancers and more recently he was asked to direct a film called Yuwinj Dhari Bulwal ~ Yuin Country Explored.
He has also appeared in a range of other films and has more recently started to write children's stories about Yuin culture and to share Dreaming stories.
Mr Foster said Australia would remember Dalaithngu as a "pioneer of Indigenous actors" and that his legacy would continue live on and inspire others.
"He changed a lot of Australia's perceptions of the Indigenous people of this country and was the first Indigenous actor to showcase our culture on the big screen.
"He is a legend and he will always be remembered as the best," said Mr Foster.