Jack Charles (actor)
Encyclopedia
Jack Charles is an Australian Aboriginal
actor
, musician, potter, elder and 'national treasure'.
Born at Cummeragunja Mission on the Murray River, Jack Charles was taken from his mother, a Yorta Yorta woman named Blanche, at 10 months of age. He was raised at the Salvation Army's Box Hill Boys' Home in Melbourne, where he was the only indigenous child.
Charles was involved in establishing indigenous theatre in Australia. In 1971 he co-founded Nindethana ('place for a corroboree') at the Pram Factory in Melbourne, Australia's first indigenous theatre group. Their first hit play was called Jack Charles is Up and Fighting. In 2010, Ilbijerri Theatre staged his powerful one-man show called Jack Charles v The Crown.
In 1972 Charles auditioned for the role of an Australian indigenous character in a television show but was knocked back because they were "looking for an actor with blue eyes." The job infamously went to an actor of Sri Lankan descent.
His screen credits include the landmark Australian film The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
(1978), Bedevil (1993), Blackfellas (1993) and Tom White (2004), among others.
Jack Charles was the subject of Amiel Courtin-Wilson's 2008 documentary Bastardy which followed him for 7 years. The film's tagline describes him as: "Addict. Homosexual. Cat burglar. Actor. Aboriginal." The film was in the official selection for Singapore
, Melbourne
, Sydney
and Sheffield Doc/Fest film festivals.
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, musician, potter, elder and 'national treasure'.
Born at Cummeragunja Mission on the Murray River, Jack Charles was taken from his mother, a Yorta Yorta woman named Blanche, at 10 months of age. He was raised at the Salvation Army's Box Hill Boys' Home in Melbourne, where he was the only indigenous child.
Charles was involved in establishing indigenous theatre in Australia. In 1971 he co-founded Nindethana ('place for a corroboree') at the Pram Factory in Melbourne, Australia's first indigenous theatre group. Their first hit play was called Jack Charles is Up and Fighting. In 2010, Ilbijerri Theatre staged his powerful one-man show called Jack Charles v The Crown.
In 1972 Charles auditioned for the role of an Australian indigenous character in a television show but was knocked back because they were "looking for an actor with blue eyes." The job infamously went to an actor of Sri Lankan descent.
His screen credits include the landmark Australian film The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is a 1972 Booker Prize-nominated novel by Thomas Keneally, and a 1978 Australian film of the same name directed by Fred Schepisi. The novel is based on the life of bushranger Jimmy Governor....
(1978), Bedevil (1993), Blackfellas (1993) and Tom White (2004), among others.
Jack Charles was the subject of Amiel Courtin-Wilson's 2008 documentary Bastardy which followed him for 7 years. The film's tagline describes him as: "Addict. Homosexual. Cat burglar. Actor. Aboriginal." The film was in the official selection for Singapore
Singapore International Film Festival
The Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...
, Melbourne
Melbourne International Film Festival
The Melbourne International Film Festival is an acclaimed annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1951, making it one of the oldest in the World....
, Sydney
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
and Sheffield Doc/Fest film festivals.