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
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Important facts
Family & relationships
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
· 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/.
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