Biog
Mark Little was born in Brisbane, Australia and spent his childhood in rural Queensland. He trained as an actor at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.Mark is best known for his portrayal of Joe Mangel in the soap phenomenon 'Neighbours' where he created one of Ramsay Street’s most legendary characters. He received an Australian Television Society Best Actor nomination for his role as Joe. In 1985 Mark was presented with the same award for his portrayal of Ron Miller in ‘The Flying Doctors’.
Mark has appeared in fifteen feature films including 'An Indecent Obsession' and 'Short Changed'. Australian Film Institute nominations for Best Actor have been awarded on two occasions. He played Constable Morris in 'A Cry in the Dark' and the lead role of Boady in the highly acclaimed, 'Nirvana Street Murder'. More recently he appeared as an Aussie lawn bowls champion in ‘Blackball’.
Settling in Britain in 1992, Mark hosted Channel 4’s ‘The Big Breakfast'. He had previously hosted the ABC's 'Countdown Revolution', Australia's top rating pop show. Mark has presented numerous programmes on British television including his own strand on ITV’s ‘Wish You Were Here’. He won the Theatre Land edition of ‘The Weakest Link’ and narrated Sky 1’s The Villa.
Mark's theatre appearances have included Costard in 'Loves Labours Lost', Crispin in 'A Chorus of Disapproval’, Laurie Blake in ‘The Temple’ and Toad in ‘Wind in the Willows’. He played the lead role in ‘Serial Killers’ for Derby Playhouse. Mark has also celebrated the Australian performance artist, Leigh Bowery, playing him in ‘Taboo’ in London’s West End and again on tour. He has recently completed playing Bottom in Stafford Festival Shakespeare’s production of A Mid Summer Night’s Dream.
Mark’s West End debut was in 1999 in 'Defending the Caveman' at the Apollo Theatre. The following year Mark was awarded The Olivier Award for Best Entertainment for ‘Defending the Caveman’.
Also known for his self devised work, Mark has devised numerous productions for the Edinburgh Fringe and toured his show’s nationally. Mark first presented his ‘performance art’ in 1980 at Melbourne’s emerging comedy clubs and performed ‘Flabbadadabbadadaddyo’ at Melbourne’s inaugral Comedy Festival in 1987. Mark has always designed his own sets. He refers to his sets as ‘Instillations’.
In March 2005, Mark returned to Australia where he reprised the character of Joe Mangel. He has recently presented and scripted ‘The Mozambique Poo Tour’, a film dealing with sanitation problems and solutions in the developing world.. He recently hosted the successful ‘Mark Little’s Raw Talent Rodeo’ in his adopted home of Brighton and Hove and for the first time exhibited his visual art in Brighton’s Festival of Artist’s Open Houses. He was a contributing artist in Cath Farr: The Art of Fun, the winner of Best Open House 2008.
Mark is currently writing a new self-devised show, working on further Digital and Burnt Stick and touring Defending the Caveman.