John Henry Tait (21 August 1871 – 23 September 1955) was an Australian film and theatre entrepreneur who often worked with his brothers

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, Nevin, Edward and Frank. John Tait was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, the son of John Turnbull Tait (1830–1902), a tailor from Scalloway, Shetland Islands, Scotland, and his English wife Sarah, née Leeming. John Tait migrated to Victoria in 1862 and settled at Castlemaine where he married Sarah. They had nine children: including Charles (1868–1933), John (1871–1955), James Nevin (1876–1961), Edward Joseph (1878–1947) and Frank Samuel (1883–1965) (later Sir Frank). John was educated at Castlemaine State School before the Taits moved in about 1879 to Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. John originally worked as a lawyer before going into the theatre. He managed Dame Nellie Melba's 1902 tour of Australia for George Musgrove. He later became a concert promoter. In March 1911, brothers John and Nevin, and Millard Johnson and William Gibson merged their film interests in

Amalgamated Pictures Amalgamated Pictures was a film exchange company in Australia. For a time it was also a short-lived Australian film production company. Although none of its output has survived, it has been written that "judging by subjects chosen, the average l ...

and became a noted theatre producer.Van Straten, F., 'Tait, John Henry (1871–1955)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University
accessed 2 February 2012

References

1871 births 1955 deaths Australian theatre managers and producers Australian people of Scottish descent People from Castlemaine, Victoria {{theat-bio-stub