Cirrus@Austlit

Kenneth Duffield was educated at St Peter’s College, Adelaide, and Trinity College (Cambridge). At university he studied Agriculture and was also active in the Footlights Club. After completing his B.A.in 1906 Duffield spent eight years working on his family's sheep station (Koonoona, South Australia) before enlisting in the A.I.F. He spent two and a half years entertaining troopsbefore being wounded in 1918. He finished his war service with the rank of Captain.

Having had his interest in theatre reignited duing the war Duffield remained in England where in 1920 he and fellow-Australian Dion Titheradge collaborated on a revue that met with success in the West End revue. This led to further cucces with such shows as Puss Puss!, A-Z, Pot Luck, Snap and The Nine O’Clock Revue. Although forced to return home in 1922 following the death of his father, Duffield continued to involve himself in composing, writing and producing well into the 1930s, both in Australia and Britain. He also co-founded Australian Musical Productions (1925) and had hit in Australia with his musical comedy Healo in 1926.

Duffield returned to Britain ca. 1926 and had further success with shows such as Jack of Diamonds, Little Miss Gruno, After Dark, and When Spring Comes Round. He wrote an autobiography, Savages and Kings (1946), before retiring to Adelaide in 1948. He died there ten years later.

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]