The lawyer for Wolf Creek actor John Jarratt has told a Sydney court his client will be pleading not guilty to a rape charge dating back to the 1970s.
Mr Jarratt, 66, did not appear in person in the Downing Centre Local Court but his solicitor, Bryan Wrench, said his client wanted to put this case in the "express lane to a trial date" so it could be dealt with as quickly as possible.
It is alleged Mr Jarratt, 24 at the time, sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman at a house in Randwick, in the city's eastern suburbs, in September 1976.
The woman made a report to officers at the Eastern Beaches Police Area Command in December 2017 and a formal investigation began.
Mr Wrench today told the magistrate his client was an actor whose "career has been put on suspension pending this allegation".
Mr Jarratt is best known for his starring role of Mick Taylor in the 2005 Australian horror film Wolf Creek.
Mr Jarratt graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) in 1973 and has appeared in many Australian television shows including Play School, A Country Practice and McLeod's Daughters.
Mr Jarrett also had a long stint as a presenter on lifestyle show Better Homes and Gardens.
The case returns to court next week.
