Jump to content

Ivan Little

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ivan Little (born 1950) is a retired journalist and part-time actor from Northern Ireland.

Journalism career

[edit]

Little was born in September 1951, and began his career as a journalist working for The Portadown Times and the Belfast Telegraph.[1] He moved into broadcasting by joining Downtown Radio.[2] He joined Ulster Television as a reporter in 1980.[3] In his career at UTV, he reported for Good Evening Ulster, Six Tonight and UTV Live.[citation needed]

Little took voluntary redundancy from the station in January 2009.[4] At the time, he stated his intention to become a freelance journalist and to maintain an association with his employers of 29 years.[5]

Since leaving UTV has penned occasional pieces for Belfast Telegraph.[6] and co-edited Reporting the Troubles with his friend and fellow-retiree Deric Henderson.[7]

Stage career

[edit]

Little has appeared on stage in the plays The Quare Gunk,[8] Scenes from the Big Picture, Educating Rita and Dealer's Choice.[9]

He most significant stage role was as Gerry Courtney in The History of the Troubles (according to my Da)'.[10] This role, created for Little by Martin Lynch (writer), started as a short run in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival but took Little on tour across Britain and Ireland.

He appeared in a UTV documentary in 2007 discussing his involvement in the play's production.[11]

On taking voluntary redundancy from UTV, Little stated in a newspaper interview his desire to devote more time to acting, confirming that he had two major roles in prospect.[12]

Little has also appeared in the BBC Northern Ireland comedy Give My Head Peace from the late 1990s to mid 2000s.

Personal life

[edit]

Little attended Grosvenor Grammar School, Belfast and studied journalism at the Belfast College of Commerce.[13] He published his autobiography Little by Little in 2005. He has two daughters,[14] one of them being actress Emma Little Lawless.[15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "A Little goes a long way", BelfastTelegraph.co.uk, dated 7 November 2005.
  2. ^ "Have they got news for you", BelfastTelegraph.co.uk, 6 December 2006; accessed 5 February 2009.
  3. ^ "Ivan itch for change", belfasttelegraph.co.uk, 18 January 2009; accessed 5 February 2009.
  4. ^ The News Letter: "Two popular faces leaving UTV": dated 20 January 2009; accessed 20 January 2009
  5. ^ Sunday Life: "Ivan itch for change": dated 18 January 2009; accessed 5 February 2009
  6. ^ Ivan little, Muck Rack
  7. ^ There was heart behind the headlines, says Reporting the Troubles co-editor Ivan Little, The Irish News, 27 September 2018
  8. ^ Belfast Telegraph: "Big break for TV's Ivan as he dies on stage"; dated 2 May 1996, accessed 17 June 2008
  9. ^ Sunday Life: "Ivan itch for change": dated 18 January 2009; accessed 5 February 2009
  10. ^ "Joy as Reporting the Troubles book reprinted but disappointment as injury thwarts my return to popular play". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 30 October 2022.
  11. ^ UTV Press Office: "Behind the Scenes on "A History of the Troubles (according to Ivan Little)"; dated 22 February 2007
  12. ^ Sunday Life: "Ivan itch for change": dated 18 January 2009; accessed 5 February 2009
  13. ^ "Legendary career of larger than life Ivan", newsletter.co.uk, 23 March 2009; accessed 6 January 2010.
  14. ^ Belfast Telegraph: "A Little goes a long way", belfasttelegraph.co.uk, 7 November 2005.
  15. ^ Emma Little Lawless at IMDb
[edit]