Mark Little (Australian Actor)
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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 Joe Mangel is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Mark Little. He debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 8 August 1988. Joe left in 1991 when Little departed the serial. In 2005 Little a ...
from 1988 to 1991, 2005 and 2022 on the Australian soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
''.


Career

Little appeared in a string of Australian films and TV series during the 1980s, including ''
Short Changed ''Short Changed'' is a 1986 Australian film directed by George Ogilvie based on a script by Aboriginal writer Bob Merritt, who described it as a "black/white '' Kramer vs Kramer''".Mary Colbert, "Positive action: Bob Merritt, playwright and scr ...
'' (1986), written by Aboriginal playwright Bob Merritt and directed by
George Ogilvie George Buchan Ogilvie (5 March 1931 – 5 April 2020) was a prolific Australian theatre director and actor, who also worked as a director and actor in film and television. He was known for being the founding artistic director of the State Theat ...
. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the AFI Awards for this role. He also performed his own comedy in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
's comedy clubs throughout the eighties, while his longest-running television role was as
Joe Mangel Joe Mangel is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Mark Little. He debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 8 August 1988. Joe left in 1991 when Little departed the serial. In 2005 Little a ...
in the soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
'', 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 Tania Jane Lacy is an Australian comedian. Early life and education Originally from Toowoomba, Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Lacy spent many of her early years travelling with her family. Her father, then an officer in the army, was poste ...
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. In 1994, he replaced Chris Evans as the presenter of ''
The Big Breakfast ''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 from 1992 to 2002, and as a revival from 2021 to 2022. The show had various presenters, starting with Chris Evans (presenter), ...
''. He has also narrated cult TV series ''
The Villa ''The Villa'' is a reality television series, originally produced by Talent TV from 1999, and aired on Sky1 for four series until 2003. Reruns previously aired on Fox Reality until this station closed. The Dutch version ran sporadically until 2 ...
'' on Sky TV. He has worked on films such as ''
Blackball Blackball, black-ball, black ball, blackballed, or blackballing may refer to: * Blackballing, a rejection in a traditional form of secret ballot Film * ''Blackball'' (film), a 2003 film starring Paul Kaye * '' Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Stor ...
'' and in the West End with his one-man show ''
Defending the Caveman ''Defending the Caveman'' is a comedy play written by American actor and comedian Rob Becker about the misunderstandings between men and women. ''Defending the Caveman'' has been seen in theaters around the world by more than eight million peop ...
'', which also won the
Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
in 2000. He returned to ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
'' as Joe for a brief period in 2005. Little appeared as Roy in a production of Louis Nowra's play ''
Così ''Così'' is a play by Australian playwright Louis Nowra which was first performed in 1992 at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia. Set in a Melbourne mental hospital in 1971, ''Così'' is semi-autobiographical, and is the sequel to his p ...
'' at The White Bear Theatre in
Kennington Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between th ...
, London, in 2008. From the following year, he started making regular appearances on the discussion show ''
The Wright Stuff ''The Wright Stuff'' is a British television chat show which was hosted by former tabloid journalist Matthew Wright from 2000 until 2018. It aired on Channel 5 on weekday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am. The series characterised itself as "Br ...
''. As well as extended runs of ''
Defending the Caveman ''Defending the Caveman'' is a comedy play written by American actor and comedian Rob Becker about the misunderstandings between men and women. ''Defending the Caveman'' has been seen in theaters around the world by more than eight million peop ...
'' at London's
Leicester Square Theatre The Leicester Square Theatre is a 400-seat theatre in Leicester Place, immediately north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It was previously known as Notre Dame Hall, Cavern in the Town and The Venue. The theatre hosts st ...
, he toured the play around the UK in 2010. In 2010, he made his directorial debut starring in, designing and directing
Jack Hibberd John Charles Hibberd (12 April 1940 – 30 August 2024) was an Australian playwright best known for his plays '' Dimboola'' (1969) and '' A Stretch of the Imagination'' (1972). He was also a physician. Biography John Charles Hibberd was bor ...
's '' A Stretch of the Imagination'' at The Cock Tavern Theatre in
Kilburn, London Kilburn is an area in North West London, North West London, in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Brent, Brent and the City of Westminster. Kilburn High Road railway station lies 3.5 miles (5.6 km) n ...
. 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. In 2017, Little played the character of "Fleshcreep" in a
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
production of ''
Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale with ancient origins. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition :File:Round about our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, 4th edn, 1734.pdf, On C ...
'' at the Palace Theatre, Mansfield. In 2019, Little took part in the eleventh series of ''
Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series broadcast from 2006 to 2014 and then from 2018 to 2025. It was presented by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern. Other previous hosts include Phillip Schofield and Christine Lampard. The series ...
'', partnered with
Brianne Delcourt Professional skaters from the British television show ''Dancing on Ice'' are figure skaters who appear with celebrities in front of a panel of judges. Most of the professionals on the series are former ice dancers or pair skaters. Competi ...
. They become the first couple to leave after the judges chose to save ex-cricketer
Ryan Sidebottom Ryan Jay Sidebottom (born 15 January 1978) is a former England international cricketer who played domestic cricket for Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire and retired in 2017, after taking more than 1,000 career wickets. He is the only player in the ...
and his skating partner Brandee Malto in the skate-off. He has also taken many self-devised shows to the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
and toured them nationally throughout the UK. In 2021, he appeared at the Middlesbrough Little Theatre in a pantomime production of ''
Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...
'', playing the part of
Captain Hook Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter and Wendy, Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain of the br ...
. In 2022, he reprised his role as
Joe Mangel Joe Mangel is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Mark Little. He debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 8 August 1988. Joe left in 1991 when Little departed the serial. In 2005 Little a ...
for the ending of ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
''.


Awards

*1985 Australian Television Society Award, Best Actor for ''
The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. Tom Callaghan. ...
'' *1997 Paramount Comedy Award,
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
for ''Psychobubble'' *2000
Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
for Best Entertainment, ''
Defending the Caveman ''Defending the Caveman'' is a comedy play written by American actor and comedian Rob Becker about the misunderstandings between men and women. ''Defending the Caveman'' has been seen in theaters around the world by more than eight million peop ...
'' *2008 Contributing Artist:
Brighton Festival Brighton Festival is a large, annual, curated multi-arts festival in England, first held in 1967. It includes music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and family events, and takes place in venues in the city of Brig ...
of Artists Open Houses, Best Open House: Cath Farr's The Art of Fun *
Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Cinema of Australia, Australian film indu ...
: Nominations for Best Supporting Actor: 1985 ''
An Indecent Obsession ''An Indecent Obsession'' is a 1981 novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough Colleen Margaretta McCullough (; married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 193729 January 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels, ...
'' (Ben Maynard) and 1987 ''
Short Changed ''Short Changed'' is a 1986 Australian film directed by George Ogilvie based on a script by Aboriginal writer Bob Merritt, who described it as a "black/white '' Kramer vs Kramer''".Mary Colbert, "Positive action: Bob Merritt, playwright and scr ...
'' (Curly) *
Logie Awards The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The event is telecast live and ...
: Nomination for Best Supporting Actor 1984 '' Waterfront'' (Alan) *Australian Television Society: Nomination for Best Actor 1990 ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
'' (
Joe Mangel Joe Mangel is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Mark Little. He debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 8 August 1988. Joe left in 1991 when Little departed the serial. In 2005 Little a ...
)


Filmography


Film


Television


Stage


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Mark 1959 births Living people Australian male comedians Australian male soap opera actors Male actors from Brisbane Australian expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom Comedians from Brisbane