Bland Holt

Who was Bland Holt?

Bland Holt, born Joseph Thomas Holt, was a comedian and theatrical producer, active in Australia.

Holt was the son of Joseph Frederick Holt and his first wife Marie, née Brown. Holt was born at Norwich, England, came to Australia with his father, an actor/manager, in 1857, and made his first appearance on the stage when he was six years old. He was educated at the Church of England grammar school, Brighton, Victoria, and at the Otago boys' high school, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Holt returned to England aged 14 years and became a professional actor. He had experience in England, the United States and New Zealand, before establishing himself in Australia in 1876. His first production was Paul Merritt's play New Babylon at the Victoria theatre, Sydney, with Myra Kemble as the leading lady. For the next 30 years Holt continued to produce the principal melodramas of the period. Most of the time of his companies was divided between the Lyceum theatre, Sydney, and the Theatre Royal, Melbourne. Nothing was too realistic to be attempted; in one play there was a hunting scene with horses dogs and a stag; in another several horses finished a race across the stage; in another a circus ring was realistically presented with the regular acts being done. Holt introduced the first motor car on stage.