Jack Charles (b. 1943), Boon Wurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung Elder, activist and actor, was taken from his mother when he was four months old. Raised in a boy's home in Melbourne, his heroin habit and consequent regular resort to petty theft saw him in and out of prison for decades. Charles began acting in the early 1970s and in 1972 co-founded Nindethana, Australia's first Aboriginal theatre group. During the 1970s, Charles had roles in television series and appeared in the film The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978). Further film roles came in 1993 with Blackfellas and Bedevil. Since that time, having beaten addiction and reconnected with his cultural heritage, Charles has performed in many theatre, film and television roles, including the 2012 Sydney Festival production, I am Eora. Charles was the subject of the 2008 documentary, Bastardy, and from 2010 to 2018 toured the world with his autobiographical work, Jack Charles v The Crown.
Since Rod McNicol and Charles met at Nindethana in the early 1970s, McNicol has made several portraits of his friend. Charles sees this 2012 portrait as 'a fresh look at me, you can see the whites of my eyes instead of them being bloodshot. You can see this man is not using anymore, he is beyond reproach, a self-proclaimed elder in his own right now.'
National Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 Winner
Purchased 2013
© Rod McNicol
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