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Mark Little (Australian actor)

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Mark Little
Born (1959-10-20) 20 October 1959 (age 65)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • television presenter
  • writer
Years active1980–present
SpouseCath Farr
Children2

Mark Little (born 20 October 1959) is an Australian actor, television presenter, comedian and screen/stage writer. He is known for portraying the role of Joe Mangel from 1988 to 1991, 2005 and 2022 on the Australian soap opera Neighbours.

Career

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Little appeared in a string of Australian films and TV series during the 1980s, including Short Changed (1986), written by Aboriginal playwright Bob Merritt and directed by George Ogilvie. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the AFI Awards for this role.[1]

He also performed his own comedy in Melbourne's comedy clubs throughout the eighties, while his longest-running television role was as Joe Mangel in the soap opera Neighbours, from 1988 to 1991. Owing to the show's popularity in the UK, he became known in the country and subsequently moved there. In 1990, he co-hosted with Tania Lacy on Countdown Revolution, a music show that was on ABC each week night. He and Lacy were fired from the show in June after their infamous protest about acts having to mime and the hosts having to pretend to like an artist, even if they didn't.[2]

In 1994, he replaced Chris Evans as the presenter of The Big Breakfast. He has also narrated cult TV series The Villa on Sky TV.[3]

He has worked on films such as Blackball and in the West End with his one-man show Defending the Caveman, which also won the Laurence Olivier Award in 2000. He returned to Neighbours as Joe for a brief period in 2005.[4]

Little appeared as Roy in a production of Louis Nowra's play Così at The White Bear Theatre in Kennington, London, in 2008. From the following year, he started making regular appearances on the discussion show The Wright Stuff.[citation needed]

As well as extended runs of Defending the Caveman at London's Leicester Square Theatre, he toured the play around the UK in 2010.[5]

In 2010, he made his directorial debut starring in, designing and directing Jack Hibberd's A Stretch of the Imagination at The Cock Tavern Theatre in Kilburn, London.[6]

Little has also written comedy films and poetry. He appeared in a documentary special celebrating Neighbours' 30th anniversary titled Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which aired in Australia and the UK in March 2015.[7][8]

In 2017, Little played the character of "Fleshcreep" in a pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Palace Theatre, Mansfield.[9]

In 2019, Little took part in the eleventh series of Dancing on Ice, partnered with Brianne Delcourt. They become the first couple to leave after the judges chose to save ex-cricketer Ryan Sidebottom and his skating partner Brandee Malto in the skate-off.[10]

He has also taken many self-devised shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and toured them nationally throughout the UK.[11]

In 2021, he appeared at the Middlesbrough Little Theatre in a pantomime production of Peter Pan, playing the part of Captain Hook.[12]

In 2022, he reprised his role as Joe Mangel for the ending of Neighbours.

Awards

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Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1982 Tennis Elbow Sidney Tower
1982 The Clinic Basil Feature film
1982 Starstruck Carl Feature film
1985 Wills & Burke John King Feature film
1985 An Indecent Obsession Benedict Maynard Feature film
1986 Short Changed Curly Feature film
1987 A Matter of Convenience Roger Purvis TV film
1988 Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark) Constable Morris Feature film[13]
1988 Bachelor Girl Waiter TV movie
1990 Golden Braid Punk Feature film
1990 Nirvana Street Murder Boady Feature film
1992 Greenkeeping Lenny Feature film
1999 Distant Shadow The Landlord Feature film
2003 Blackball Mark Doohan Feature film
2015 The Program Rupert Guinness Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1980 Skyways TV series
1981 Cop Shop TV series
1981 The Sullivans TV series
1984 Infinity Limited Rosco TV series, 17 episodes
1984 Waterfront Allan Williams TV miniseries
1985 The Dunera Boys Pete Dunstan TV miniseries
1985 The Flying Doctors 'Roughneck' Ron TV miniseries
1986 The Flying Doctors Ron Miller TV series
1986 The Gillies Republic TV series
1988-91, 2005, 2022 Neighbours Joe Mangel TV series
1990 Countdown Revolution Presenter TV series
1994 The Big Breakfast Presenter TV series
1999-2000 The Villa Narrator TV series
1999 The Rat Trap
2001 Motion Foreman
2001 Summer Rain Travel Agency Manager
2008 Casualty Gary Forrester TV series
2008 Emmerdale Jonty DeLorean TV series
2009 The Wright Stuff Regular Guest TV series
2010 Whites Darryl Sommers TV series
2015 Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite Himself TV special
2019 Dancing on Ice Contestant TV series
2022 Neighbours Joe Mangel TV series

Stage

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Year Title Role Type
1997 Psychobubble Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Defending the Caveman Himself West End of London
2008 Così Roy The White Bear Theatre, Kennington
2010 Defending the Caveman Leicester Square Theatre & UK tour
2010 A Stretch of the Imagination Cock Tavern Theatre, Kilburn, London
2017 Jack and the Beanstalk Fleshcreep Palace Theatre, Mansfield
2021 Peter Pan Captain Hook Middlesbrough Little Theatre

References

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  1. ^ Kruger, Debbie. "Bob Merritt's message of understanding". The Weekend Australian. Retrieved 10 December 2021 – via Debbie Kruger.
  2. ^ "rage goes retro with TISM and Hoodoo Gurus live, Countdown Awards, and more for Australia Day". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  3. ^ Duke, Simon (11 January 2019). "Who is Mark Little on Dancing on Ice? Contestant set for first live show". Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  4. ^ Green, Kris (2 June 2005). "First 'Neighbours' 20th anniversary shots". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Defending The Caveman, starring Mark Little – National Tour 2010". Defendingthecaveman.co.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  6. ^ "A Stretch of the Imagination - Mark Little at Cock Tavern". London Theatre. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  7. ^ Knox, David (28 February 2015). "Airdate: Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite". TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  8. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (4 March 2015). "Neighbours 30th anniversary schedule confirmed by Channel 5". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  9. ^ "'Jack & the Beanstalk review at Palace Theatre', 'The Stage'". 20 December 2017.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Rory (13 January 2019). "Dancing On Ice 2019: Fans OUTRAGED over shock elimination 'I'm furious!". Daily Express.
  11. ^ Price, Karen (20 October 2001). "Still digging up old Joe Mangle; COMEDY: Mark Little". Western Mail. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  12. ^ Anderson, Katie (25 September 2021). "Middlesbrough panto ticket prices, dates and who's starring as show returns". Teesside Live. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  13. ^ "A Cry in the Dark (1988) - Release dates". IMDb.com. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
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