Gibson was well known in Australia before Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior but Internationally not so much. That changed after that movie hit the screens. It launched him to Superstardom around the world. One of the all time great action movies. Mad Max wasn’t bad and Thunderdome was a disappointment in comparison but Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior is the keeper of the bunch.
Odd thing about the first movie: the version shown in the USA is dubbed by actors with American accents. I’m guessing they thought that the American audience would have a hard time understanding thick Aussie accents. If anyone knows the story behind this, please chime in.