Dion Titheradge (30 March 1889 – 16 November 1934) was an Australian-born actor and writer of revues, plays and screenplays.

Early life

Dion Titheradge was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia in 1889, son of the actor George Sutton Titheradge. He was brother of the actress

Madge Titheradge Madge Titheradge (2 July 1887 14 November 1961) was an Australian-born actress who became a leading actress in the West End of London and on Broadway. She began as a child actress before the First World War, and went on to star in the 1920s and ...

.Death of Mr. Dion Titheradge

The Argus (Melbourne) ''The Argus'' was an Australian daily morning newspaper in Melbourne from 2 June 1846 to 19 January 1957, and was considered to be the general Australian newspaper of record for this period. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most ...

, 19 November 1934. Via

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

. His early career was as an actor. His first appearance on stage was in 1908 at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in ''The Woman of Kronstadt'', and he then toured Australia and New Zealand playing various roles. In 1910 he was a member of

Lewis Waller William Waller Lewis (3 November 1860 – 1 November 1915), known on stage as Lewis Waller, was an English actor and theatre manager, well known on the London stage and in the English provinces. After early stage experience with John Lawrence To ...

's company, touring with him in the play ''Bardelys the Magnificent''. Titheradge appeared with Waller in September–October 1912 at Daly's Theatre, New York, in ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

''. Also in New York, he played Harry Anson in '' The Whip'' at the

Manhattan Opera House The Manhattan Center is a building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street, it houses Manhattan Center Studios, the location of two recording studios; its Grand Ballroom; and the Hammerstein Ballroo ...

from November 1912 to April 1913; he appeared in ''Life'' by

Thompson Buchanan Thompson Buchanan (June 21, 1877 - October 15, 1937) was an American writer. While a journalist he began writing novels, and then turned to plays, with 1909's ''A Woman's Way'' starring Grace George being his first hit. He began writing for mov ...

at the same theatre from October 1914 to March 1915, and in ''The Harp of Life'' by

J. Hartley Manners John Hartley Manners (10 August 1870 – 19 December 1928) was a London-born playwright of Irish extraction who wrote ''Peg o' My Heart'', which starred his wife, Laurette Taylor, on Broadway in one of her greatest stage triumphs. Biography ...

at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

from November 1916 to May 1917.Dion Titheradge
at the

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade assoc ...

Writer

Writing became important in his subsequent career. Titheradge and Kenneth Duffield, of South Australia, created a successful West End

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

in London in 1920 and, before Duffield returned to Australia in 1922, they produced several more revues including ''A to Z'', ''Puss Puss'', ''Snap'' and ''Pot Luck''.Dion Titheradge
Australian Variety Theatre Archive, accessed 11 September 2016. The song "And Her Mother Came Too", of which he wrote the lyrics, became famous; the music was by Ivor Novello, and it was first heard in ''A to Z'', which opened at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

on 11 October 1921. It was sung by

Jack Buchanan Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George G ...

. Also famous was his sketch "Dinner Napkins" (also known as "Double Damask"), heard in

Noel Gay Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community * 1563 Noël, an asteroid *Mount Noel, Britis ...

's show ''Clowns in Clover'' (1927). Titheradge wrote many plays, often using the pen-name 'Geoffrey Warren'. His play ''Loose Ends'', by 'Geoffrey Warren', was first performed at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

in London from 19 April 1926, where it ran for 81 performances, transferring to the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was d ...

from 7 June. It was reported in ''The Stage'' that Dion Thitheradge announced to the audience after the first performance that 'The author is not in the audience', an accepted phrase indicating that the author was on the stage."Loose Ends". ''The Stage'', 22 April 1926, p 18. He directed and appeared in the play in New York where it ran for 40 performances from 1 November 1926 at the Ritz Theatre. Titheradge played the part of Malcolm Forres and Brenda Fallon was played by

Molly Kerr Molly Kerr (28 May 1904 – 31 May 1942) was an actor, producer and playwright who was the first person to play the role of Bunty Mainwaring in Noël Coward, Noël Coward's play ''The Vortex''. Early life Kerr was born Frances Keen on 28 May 1 ...

in both London and New York. ''Loose Ends'' was later (1930) made into a film of the same title. His play ''The Crooked Billet'', a murder mystery, ran for 168 performances from 13 October 1927 at the

Royalty Theatre The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. Established by the actress Frances Maria Kelly in 1840, it opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938.

in London, and was made into a film of the same name (1929). He wrote the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

s for the films ''

Mr. Bill the Conqueror ''Mr. Bill the Conqueror'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Norman Walker and starring Henry Kendall, Heather Angel and Nora Swinburne. It was made by British International Pictures at Elstree Studios.Wood p.72 Cast * Henry Kendall a ...

'' (1932) and '' Dangerous Ground'' (1934).

Family

Titheradge married Margaret Ann Bolton in 1909 in New South Wales; their children were Meg and the writer Peter Dion Titheradge (1910–1989).Dion Titheradge
Titheradge family history, accessed 22 September 2016. They divorced in 1927, and he married the actress

Madge Stuart Madge Stuart (5 August 1895, in Holmesfield, Derbyshire – 10 October 1958, in Monte Carlo, Monaco) was a British actress of the silent era. She married Dion Titheradge in 1928. Selected filmography * '' Nature's Gentleman'' (1918) * '' The ...

in 1928. He died in London in 1934.

References

External links

* * *
Plays by Dion Titheradge on Great War Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Titheradge, Dion 1889 births 1934 deaths People from Melbourne 20th-century Australian male actors 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights Australian screenwriters 20th-century Australian screenwriters Australian male dramatists and playwrights