Biography.guide
Home › People › Theatre manager › William Anderson
Portrait of William Anderson

William Anderson

1868 – 1940

Theatre manager in Australia

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About William Anderson

Lived 1868 – 1940 (aged 72). William Anderson was an Australian theatre manager.

William Anderson (14 January 1868 – 16 August 1940) was an Australian theatre entrepreneur.

He left school at age ten and eventually found work as a theatre manager, marrying the actress Eugenie Duggan. He established two theatre companies and had a profitable association with Charles Holloway, opened Wonderland City in Sydney and built the Kings Theatre in Melbourne. He produced several classics of the Australian stage including Thunderbolt (1905), The Squatter's Daughter (1907) (which he filmed in 1910) and The Man from Outback (1909), as well as co-writing several plays.

Hic comedy company was playing at the Tivoli Theatre, Adelaide in February 1917 when Hugh D. McIntosh's Tivoli Follies company was booked to play at the same venue, resulting in a clash and both managements accusing the other of misrepresentation.

Anderson worked with such actors and writers as Edmund Duggan, Bert Bailey, Olive Wilton and Roy Redgrave and for a time his private secretary was Beaumont Smith. The financial failure of Wonderland City cost him his personal fortune, but he remained involved in theatre productions until the end of his life.

Selected credits Thunderbolt (1905) - producer The Squatter's Daughter (1907) – producer The Bushwoman (1909) - producer White Australia (1909) - producer The Man from Outback (1909) – producer The Squatter's Daughter (1910) – film, producer The Winning Ticket (play) (1910) – producer, co-writer By Wireless Telegraphy (1910) – producer, co-writer For Homestead and Honour (1912) - producer The Sunny Corner (1915) - producer

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Family & relationships

Spouse
Eugenie Duggan

People in William Anderson's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped William Anderson's

Frequently asked questions

Who was William Anderson?

theatre manager in Australia (1868-1940)

When was William Anderson born?

William Anderson was born on 14 January 1868 in Bendigo.

When did William Anderson die?

William Anderson died on 16 August 1940 in Melbourne, St Kilda, Victoria, Victoria (Australia).

What was William Anderson's occupation?

William Anderson was a theatre manager.

What nationality was William Anderson?

William Anderson was Australian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: William Anderson

· Wikidata: Q15996852

· DBpedia: William Anderson (theatre)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Anderson. https://biography.guide/william-anderson-theatre-manager/

MLA: "William Anderson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-anderson-theatre-manager/.

Chicago: "William Anderson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-anderson-theatre-manager/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:18 UTC