Prominent Australian actor, director and theatre lecturer Charles (“Charlie”) Little died on 25 May, aged 83, after suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

A dashing, charming man, who was passionate about theatre and entertainment, and loved nothing more than chatting about it for hours with friends and colleagues, Little was born in Griffith, NSW on 27 January, 1943. He studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), where he was one of the early intakes.

Jennifer Hagan and Charlie Little in Hedda Gabler at the Old Tote, 1967

Immediately after graduating in 1963, he performed at Sydney’s influential Old Tote Theatre Company in The Fire Raisers, The Playboy of the Western World, Hamlet (with John Bell in the title role) and The Ballad of Angel’s Alley.

After performing for companies in Sydney, Tasmania and Adelaide, he returned to the Old Tote in 1967 to perform in The Homecoming, The Imaginary Invalid, The School for Scandal and Hedda Gabler.

In 1968, he was cast in the Australian production of Mart Crowley’s controversial, landmark play The Boys in the Band, which centres on a group of gay men. Little played Emory, a flamboyant interior designer.

In an article for Theatre Heritage Australia, Roland Rocchiccioli wrote, “Charlie Little was quite brilliant as the limp-wristed Emory. His show-stopping entrance through the swinging doors wearing pink shorts with matching sweater, socks and sandshoes, came-in for special attention: ‘Who do you have to f*** to get a cup of coffee around here!’ Tame by today’s standards – it was revolutionary in 1968-69.”

After playing to sell-out crowds for seven months in Sydney, The Boys in the Band transferred to Melbourne. Two and a half weeks into the season, Little and fellow cast member John Krummel were questioned by vice-squad detectives and charged with using obscene language in public. They were found guilty, but the Magistrate dismissed the charges as “trifling”.

Reviewing the production for The Age, Geoffrey Hutton wrote, “This is not a dirty play or a prurient play, but it must be taken as a whole to be understood.”

Ultimately, it proved an important step in changing Australia’s archaic censorship laws. The production toured to Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart, before returning to Melbourne for a season at the Comedy Theatre.

Charlie Little. Photo supplied

In 1971, Little performed alongside Honor Blackman, Colleen Clifford and Michael Craig in Move Over Mrs Markham in Sydney. The following year, the show toured to Canberra and Adelaide.

In 1974, on a trip to London, Little met Annabel (Abbie) Morley, daughter of legendary actor Robert Morley. They subsequently married and had two children, Daisy and Jack.

Little’s other acting stage credits included Hamlet and Jumpers for SGIO Theatre in Brisbane and Away for the Q Theatre in Penrith.

In 1988, he directed a production of Move Over Mrs Markham for Glen St Theatre in French’s Forest, NSW with a cast including Michael Caton and Belinda Giblin. His other directing credits included productions of Salome, Mrs Warren’s Profession, A Spring Song, The One Day of the Year, The Wild Party, How the Other Half Loves and Black Mary.

He also appeared in films such as They’re a Weird Mob, Children of the Revolution and Paperback Hero, while his TV credits included Skippy, Homicide, A Country Practice and Police Rescue.

Charlie Little, 1943 – 2026

Over a number of years, Little and Abbie ran a theatre appreciation group for over 200 people in Sydney at which he delivered lectures and interviewed guests on a fortnightly basis. Every two years, they also took tour groups to New York and London where they saw a selection of Broadway and West End shows, and met local theatre artists.

In 2007, Little was awarded an OAM (Order of Australia Medal) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to the arts, including his extensive work as a lecturer in theatre appreciation.