Aboriginal Victorian actor, musician and revered uncle Jack Charles is being mourned as a brash and tenacious “father of black theatre” after his death aged 79.
NOTE: This story uses the name and picture of Uncle Jack Charles with the permission of his family.
Key points:
- The actor died in hospital, surrounded by his family, after suffering a stroke
- Uncle Jack was a co-founder of Australia’s first Indigenous-led theater group in Melbourne
- A flood of tributes have remembered his warmth, creative genius and quick sense of humor
In a statement, his publicist said the Boon Wurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Woiwurrung and Yorta Yorta man, who also had links to other clans in South East Australia, died peacefully this morning in Hospital Royal Melbourne after suffering a stroke.
“Before he died, his family was able to send him to Country during a smoking ceremony at the Royal Melbourne Hospital,” the statement said.
“We are very proud of all he has achieved in his exceptional life: elder, actor, musician, potter, activist, mentor, a household name and a voice loved by all, as evidenced by his many awards, including the NAIDOC Male This year’s senior.
“He will live on in our hearts and memories and through his many roles on screen and stage.
“May he be greeted by his ancestors when he returns home.”
Uncle Jack’s sister Christine Charles said she was “really numb” to the loss.
“He was my big brother, he looked after me, he was always calling, making sure I was okay,” she said.
“I loved him.”
Uncle Jack Charles’ sister Christine Charles (left) and niece Ajia Jacklyn Charles-Hamilton. (ABC News: Jeddah Costa)
Uncle Jack’s niece Ajia Jacklyn Charles-Hamilton said it had been an emotional 24 hours as the family gathered at her uncle’s bedside at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
“Uncle Jack was a great man, loved by so many, it’s very overwhelming all the phone calls and messages and everything that’s going on,” she said.
“We just want to say thank you on behalf of my family for all your condolences and thoughts.”
Mrs Charles-Hamilton also thanked the hospital for the family saying goodbye to Uncle Jack with a smoking ceremony.
“It’s an important part of the healing, the journey that Uncle Jack has been on, it’s very important,” he said, adding that he believed it should be offered in all hospitals for Aboriginal families.
‘Saved’ by a gift for acting
In a career spanning several decades, the Stolen Generations survivor used his creative platforms to share painful and personal truths about the brutal impact of government policies on his community.
Uncle Jack began his career as an actor at the age of 19. (ABC News: Jeremy Story Carter)
Taken from his young Aboriginal mother at just four months old, Uncle Jack’s early childhood was spent cycling through various institutions.
They include the Salvation Army Children’s Home in Box Hill, east of Melbourne, where he was physically and sexually abused.
“It’s hard to convey the damage this place did to me,” Uncle Jack told Victoria’s Yoorrook truth inquiry earlier this year.
“It wasn’t just the abuse that traumatized me, the Box Hill Boys’ Home stripped me of my Aboriginality.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Uncle Jack led campaigns to support vaccination. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
But she said discovering her acting talent at a young age was a turning point.
“In a way that [acting] it saved me,” he said.
“I think I owe my life to having found the theater.”
Uncle Jack appeared in the groundbreaking 1978 Australian film The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and co-founded Australia’s first Indigenous-led theater group in Melbourne.
In 2008, he appeared in the documentary Bastardy, which explored how his childhood trauma had fueled years of drug addiction and theft, leading to stints in prison and homelessness.
In a personal theater piece, the actor starred in Jack Charles Vs The Crown, which was staged in Melbourne in 2010.
Uncle Jack learned his pottery skills in prison, where he taught the art to other inmates. (ABC News)
Uncle Jack remained very active in his later years, starring in the ABC television series Cleverman and appearing in Who Do You Think You Are? program last year, where he discovered his father’s identity and his family’s links to more Aboriginal nations in Victoria and Tasmania.
He also worked with the late Uncle Archie Roach to support Indigenous prisoners.
Uncle Jack starred in a number of Australian stage and screen productions. (ABC: Lisa Tomasetti)
In 2019, he published his memoir, Uncle Jack: Born-again Blakfella.
In his submission to the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Uncle Jack said sharing the details of his personal journey offered a wider truth for Australia.
“The idea of putting it all on a big screen for the world to see, I’m not ashamed of it,” he said.
“It is not a work of shame, for my life, as I see it, is a variation of so many other lives, which do not have the opportunity as I have … to receive the full extent of what had been lost , denied and hidden from me.”
‘Sassy’ and spirit saw him ascend as a much-loved star
Indigenous rapper Briggs, who worked alongside Uncle Jack in the TV series Cleverman, said he “could never have met a more warm, funny and kind soul” in a tribute on social media.
Actor and stage manager Rachael Maza, whose father Bob Maza co-founded Aboriginal theater group Nindethana with Uncle Jack in the 1970s, said Uncle Jack had blazed a trail for young indigenous actors.
“It represents to me the extraordinary resilience and tenacity of who we are as a people,” Ms Maza told ABC Radio Melbourne.
“His incredible sense of humor, his cheekiness, his kindness, how he could be admired and made everyone’s day.”
“He’s the father of black theater and went on to be part of some of the most extraordinary theater, film and television and has become such a household name, especially in the last 15 years.”
Uncle Jack’s sharp sense of humor is being mourned after his death aged 79. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
Ms Maza said Uncle Jack never let his experience as a member of the Stolen Generations dampen his sense of optimism and positivity.
“His spirit was never lowered,” he said.
“It was a brilliant, vibrant celebration of life and I think that’s why we’re all so touched and moved and that’s why he was so loved.”
Victoria’s Aboriginal treaty body, the First People’s Assembly, described Uncle Jack as a “true king” in a social media tribute.
A story “permanently etched” in Victoria’s history
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Uncle Jack “blazed a trail in Australia and around the world” and telling his story to the Yoorrook Justice Commission “etched it permanently into our state’s history “.
“There is no actor, no activist, no survivor and no Victorian like Uncle Jack Charles,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the title of the actor’s first hit, Uncle Jack Is Up and Fighting, was ‘prophetic’
“At a time when Aboriginal actors were being overlooked for even Aboriginal roles, he co-founded Australia’s first indigenous theater – Nindethana,” he said.
“And against all odds he had become a household name.”
Mr Andrews said, like many members of the Stolen Generations, Uncle Jack would spend his life searching.
“With his stories he gave us a lot,” he said.
“Laughter, anguish, understanding and justice.
“He will be greatly missed. Okay, Uncle Jack.”
Prime Minister pays tribute to creative genius and passion
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also paid tribute to Uncle Jack, noting that he “lived a very hard life, but leaves a joyful legacy”.
“He endured cruelty, he endured pain, but he uplifted our nation with his heart, with his genius, his creativity and his passion,” Albanese said.
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The Prime Minister said he had the opportunity to meet Uncle Jack during a QandA program where they were both panelists.
“I found him incredibly warm and engaging, great fun, great character and a great loss for Australia,” Mr Albanese said.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney remembered Uncle Jack as an “innovative storyteller and activist” who used warmth and grace to bring people along with him.
“Uncle Jack provided a window for many Australians to see the enduring pain of Stolen Generations survivors and inspired people with his strength of character and resilience,” he said.
“We have lost a legend of Australian theatre, film and the creative arts. Goodbye Uncle Jack.”