Mark Little

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

Career Little graduated from NIDA in 1980. He 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.

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, Little starred in Nirvana Street Murder, which was his first lead role in a feature film.

Little starred in the 1992 Australian film Greenkeeping, alongside Lisa Hensley. The part of Lenny was written for him by the film's writer and director David Caesar.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 production of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Palace Theatre, Mansfield.

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.

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

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

In 2022, he reprised his role of Joe Mangel for a guest appearance in the then-final episodes of Neighbours. Australian Film Institute Best Supporting Actor Short Changed

Penguin Awards Best Actor Neighbours

Paramount Comedy Award, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Psychobubble

Laurence Olivier Award Best Entertainment Defending the Caveman

Brighton Festival of Artists Open Houses Best Open House; Contributing Artist Cath Farr: The Art of Fun

Filmography

Film 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 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 2022 Passing Through Tom Feature film

Television 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

Stage 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