Sir Robert James Kerridge (30 October 1901 – 26 April 1979) was a New Zealand businessman, cinema proprietor, film distributor, tourism promoter and entrepreneur.
Kerridge was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 30 October 1901. He developed a theatre chain that owned or controlled 133 cinemas, the biggest exhibition chain in New Zealand or Australia. In 1946, Kerridge sold 50 per cent of his cinema chain to the J. Arthur Rank Organisation of London, netting the vendors almost £1 million, and a Rolls-Royce car for Kerridge. The chain was renamed Kerridge Odeon.
In the 1962 Queen's Birthday Honours, Kerridge was appointed a Knight Bachelor, for public services. He was buried at Purewa Cemetery in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank. In 1995, Kerridge was posthumously inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.
References
- Shelton, L. R. "Robert James Kerridge". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- "No. 42685". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 10 June 1961. p. 4347.
- "Notable graves". Purewa Trust Board. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- "Past laureates". Business Hall of Fame. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
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