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. Little later departed the serial and Joe left in 1991. In 2005 Lit ...

from 1988-1991, 2005 and 2022 on the Australian soap opera ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which 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 an ...

''.

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 scre ...

'' (1986), written by

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

playwright

Bob Merritt Bob Merritt is the retired senior pastor of Eagle Brook Church in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, a megachurch. Early life and education Merritt's father was Calvin Merritt, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Neshannock Townsh ...

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 within film and television. Life and career George Ogilvie began as an actor at the Canberra ...

. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the AFI Awards for this role. He also performed his own comedy in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

's comedy clubs throughout the eighties, while his longest-running television role was as

in the soap opera ''

'', from 1989 to 1991. Owing to the show's popularity in the UK, he became known in the country and subsequently moved to England. 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 & 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. Originally presented by Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin, the show was latterly presented by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu. The pro ...

''. He has also narrated cult TV series ''

The Villa ''The Villa'' was a reality TV show, 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 2019, wh ...

'' 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 peopl ...

'', 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 recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

in 2000. He returned to ''Neighbours'' 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 pr ...

'' at

The White Bear Theatre The White Bear Theatre is a fringe theatre founded in 1988 at the White Bear pub in Kennington, London, and run by Artistic Director and founder Michael Kingsbury. It is one of London's leading pub theatres, as well as one of the longest establis ...

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 the ...

, London, opening 29 July 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 ''

'' 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 June 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 Kilburn is an area of north west London, England, which spans the boundary of three London Boroughs: London Borough of Camden, Camden to the east, City of Westminster, London Borough of Brent, Brent to the west. There is also an area in the City ...

. 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 December 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. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

production of ''

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Cole ...

'' at the

Palace Theatre, Mansfield The Palace Theatre in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England first opened in 1910 as a cinema. It was later converted to a live theatre, which has been its primary function ever since. The theatre was completely renovated and refurbished in the 199 ...

. In 2019, Little took part in the eleventh series of ''

Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...

'', 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 choose 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 Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

and toured them nationally throughout the UK. He is currently appearing in pantomime at the Middlesbrough Little Theatre in a Production of Peter Pan. He is playing the part of Captain Hook. UK. In May 2022 it was announced he will reprise his role as Joe Mangel for the ending of Neighbours

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 of Australia, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. T ...

'' *1997 Paramount Comedy Award, Edinburgh Fringe for ''Psychobubble'' *2000 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment, ''Defending the Caveman'' *2008 Contributing Artist: Brighton Festival 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 Australian film industry. It is responsib ...

: Nominations for Best Supporting Actor: 1985 "An Indecent Obsession" (Ben Maynard) and 1987 "Short Changed" (Curly) *

Logie Awards The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

: Nomination for Best Supporting Actor 1984 ''Waterfront'' (Alan) *Australian Television Society: Nomination for Best Actor 1990 ''Neighbours'' (Joe Mangel)

Filmography

*''Skyways'' (1980) TV series *''

Cop Shop ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. The show The show revolved ar ...

'' (1981) TV series *''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-clas ...

'' (1981) TV series * ''Tennis Elbow'' (1982) as Sidney Tower * ''The Clinic'' (1982), Basil * '' Starstruck'' (1982) as Carl * ''

Infinity Limited ''Infinity Limited'' is an Australian science education television series produced by the ABC in Melbourne between 1982 and 1984.From archived 4 June 1984 South Australian TV guide atelevision.au/ref> Despite the show's short run, it proved pop ...

'' (1984) as Rosco'' * '' Waterfront'' (1984) TV miniseries as Allan * ''

Wills & Burke ''Wills & Burke'' (also known as ''The Wacky World of Wills & Burke'' and ''Wills & Burke: The Untold Story'') is a 1985 Australian black comedy film about the Burke and Wills expedition. It opened a week before ''Burke & Wills'', a serious dram ...

''(1985) as John King * ''

An Indecent Obsession ''An Indecent Obsession'' is a 1981 novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough. Summary To the battle-broken soldiers in her care, nurse Honour Langtry is a precious, adored reminder of the world before the war. Then Michael Wilson arrive ...

'' (1985) as Benedict Maynard * ''

The Dunera Boys ''The Dunera Boys'' is a 1985 Australian mini series based on the ''Dunera'' incident.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p190 Cast * Bob Hoskins - Morrie Mendellsohn * Joseph Spano - Alexander ...

'' (1985) (TV) a Pete Dunstan * ''

'' (1985) TV miniseries as 'Roughneck' Ron * ''The Flying Doctors'' (1986) TV series as Ron Miller (1986) * ''

'' (1986) as Curly * ''The Gillies Republic'' (1986) TV series * ''

A Matter of Convenience ''A Matter of Convenience'' is a 1987 Australian television film about a couple living in Melbourne. Velma (Deborra-Lee Furness) works in a butchers and wants a baby, but has no money. Her work shy partner Joe ( John Clarke) is resistant to any ...

'' (1987) (TV) as Roger Purvis * '' Evil Angels'' (''A Cry in the Dark'') (1988) as Constable Morris * ''

Bachelor Girl Bachelor Girl are an Australian pop duo, formed in 1992 by Tania Doko as vocalist and James Roche as musician, producer and arranger. Their 1998 debut single, "Buses and Trains", was a top-10 hit in Australia and New Zealand; it peaked in the ...

'' (1988) as Waiter * ''

'' (1985) TV series as Joe Mangel (1988–1991, 2005, 2022) * ''

Nirvana Street Murder ''Nirvana Street Murder'' is a 1990 Australian comedy film, written and directed by Aleksi Vellis, starring Mark Little, Ben Mendelsohn and Mary Coustas Mary Coustas (born 16 September 1964) is an Australian actress, comedian and televisio ...

'' (1990) as Boady * ''

Golden Braid ''Golden Braid'' is a 1990 Australian film directed by Paul Cox, who later called it "quite a funny film, but very few people get it."

'' (1990) as Punk * ''

Greenkeeping ''Greenkeeping'' is a 1992 Australian film directed by David Caesar David Caesar (born 1963) is an Australian television and film director and writer. He grew up in Turlinjah on the south coast of NSW and attended school in nearby Moruya where ...

'' (1992) as Lenny * ''

'' (1999) TV series as Narrator (1999–2000) * ''

Distant Shadow ''Distant Shadow'' is a 1999 film. A thriller made in the UK, it is 100 minutes in length and was directed by Howard J. Ford. Plot summary Michelle witnesses the brutal murder of her mother while she is a four-year-old child. Sixteen years la ...

'' (1999) as The Landlord * ''

The Rat Trap ''The Rat Trap'' (1918) is a four-act drama by Noël Coward, written when he was 18, but not staged until he was 26, by which time he was well known as a rising playwright, after the success of ''The Vortex''. The play depicts the clash of egos ...

'' (1999) * ''Motion'' (2001) as Foreman * ''Summer Rain'' (2001) as Travel Agency Manager * ''

'' (2003) as Mark Doohan * ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' (2008) as Gary Forrester * ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

'' (2008) as Jonty DeLorean * ''Whites'' (2010) as Darryl Sommers * '' Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite'' (2015) as Himself * '' The Program'' (2015) as Rupert Guinness * ''

'' (2019) as Himself

References

External links

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