About Charles Hyatt

Jamaican actor, playwright, comedian, director, broadcaster, storyteller, teacher (February 14, 1931- January 1, 2007) Charles Eglerton Hyatt was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on February 14, 1931, the son of Herbert Hyatt, taxi-driver, and Ruth Burke, home-maker, and was educated at St Aloysious Boys’ School and St Simon’s College. Recognised as a superbly talented actor from an early age, Hyatt developed his dramatic abilities as a member of the Caribbean Thespians Dramatic Society. He was especially adept at the skill of mime and was noted for impeccable timing, remarkable comic sense and an ability to deliver convincing portrayals of a wide range of characters, male and female. Onstage between the mid-1940s and late ’50s, Hyatt appeared in numerous roles in plays and revues, including the dames in nine consecutive annual Little Theatre Movement (LTM) pantomimes, and also emerged as an outstanding stand-up comedian. He was introduced to radio theatre in the late 1950s, and made his debut as co-host of an early morning chat show on JBC (Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation) Radio when the Corporation began transmission in June 1959. Soon after, he wrote a hugely successful long-lasting series of daily five-minute vignettes titled “Here Comes Charley”, in which he played all roles – male and female – as well as designing and executing the sound effects.