Wolf Creek actor John Jarratt has been committed to stand trial for the rape of a woman in 1976.

Mr Jarratt stood and nodded Thursday as a magistrate committed him for trial in the NSW District Court late next year.

The actor pleaded not guilty and his lawyer told the court it would be a “short, sharp” trial.

It is alleged Mr Jarratt, who was 24 at the time, sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman at a house in Randwick, in the city’s eastern suburbs.

A formal investigation into the alleged assault was initiated after the woman made a report to officers at the Eastern Beaches Police Area Command in December 2017.

Mr Jarratt, 66, is best known for his starring role of Mick Taylor in the 2005 Australian horror film Wolf Creek.

He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts 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 alongside former wife Noni Hazelhurst.

Mr Jarratt has previously denied the allegation.

“I’m fine, because I’m innocent,” he told Channel Nine in August. “I’m good, because I’m a good man.”