Bob Maza

In the 1960s, he was inspired by Malcolm X Speaks, and became politically active as a member of the Aborigines Advancement League, of which he was subsequently made president. In 1970, he addressed the United Nations General Assembly on the subject of "the third-world status of Indigenous Australians".[2] In 1972, he took part in the Aboriginal Tent Embassy protest.[2]

Maza's plays include Mereki and The Keepers.[3]

He helped found theatre companies including Nindethana and the National Black Theatre.[2]

Maza has appeared in television series including Bellbird, Harry's War, Wildside, A Difficult Woman, A Country Practice, Women of the Sun and Heartland. He has also acted in films, including When the Stars Came Dreaming (1998), Lilian's Story (1996), The Back of Beyond (1995), The Nostradamus Kid (1993), Reckless Kelly (1993), Ground Zero (1987), The Fringe Dwellers (1986), BabaKiueria (1986), White Man's Legend (1984), and 27A (1974).[1][4]

Maza was born to a Murray Islander (Torres Strait Islander) father and to a Yidinjdji (Australian Aboriginal) mother.[2]

He married Vera Blankman, an immigrant from the Netherlands, and they had two sons, C'Zarke and Mataika and two daughters, Lisa and Rachael, also an actress.[5] They felt the impact of racism for those times, but their relationship endured.

Father and daughter, Bob and Rachael both had roles in the short-lived Australian drama series Heartland.

In 1993, he was awarded the Order of Australia for services to the arts and to Indigenous people.[6]

In 1998, he received the Australia Council Red Ochre Award for his "outstanding contribution to the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts".[2]

Today, the Bob Maza Fellowship, awarded by the Australian government, is destined to help further the career of established Indigenous actors.[3]