Kay Kendall (21 May 1927 – 6 September 1959) was an English actress.

Kendall began her film career in the musical film London Town (1946). Though the film was a financial failure, Kendall continued to work regularly until her appearance in the comedy film Genevieve (1953) brought her widespread recognition. Most prolific in British films, Kendall also achieved some popularity with American audiences, and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in the musical-comedy film Les Girls (1957).

She began a romantic relationship with actor Rex Harrison after they appeared together in the comedy film The Constant Husband (1955), and they were married in 1957. Harrison learned from Kendall's doctor that she had been diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia, a fact that was kept from Kendall, who believed she was suffering from an iron deficiency. The actor cared for Kendall until her death at age 32.

Critical assessment

"As they say about crime victims, Kay Kendall was in the wrong place at the wrong time", wrote Rhoda Koenig, a critic, in The Independent in 2006. "In her case, the crime was a waste of talent. One of the most delightful of British actresses .... [F]ew of her films gave her a chance to shine. A natural screwball heroine, Kendall was born too late for the 1930s comedies in which she would have been the equal of the scatty but scintillating Carole Lombard or Claudette Colbert, and too soon for the naughtiness and absurdity of the 1960s .... Kendall was beautiful and funny. She was a true comedienne, unafraid to compromise her ladylike appearance with pratfalls, pop eyes and comic drunk scenes. Kendall could get away with such antics without looking vulgar.”

Early life

She was born Justine Kay Kendall McCarthy, at Stanley House, Hull Road, in Withernsea, a coastal resort in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Kendall's father was Terrence "Terry" McCarthy (aka Terry Kendall), vaudevillian son of Marie Kendall, a music hall star known for her vivacious personality and perfect diction while singing. Her mother was the former Gladys Drewery. She had two elder siblings:

• Terrence Justin "Terry" Kendall McCarthy (born 1923)
• Patricia Kim "Pat" Kendall McCarthy (aka Kim Kendall, born 1925)

By her father's second marriage to his professional dancing partner, Dora Spencer, she had a younger half-brother:

• Cavan Kendall McCarthy (aka Cavan Kendall) (1942-1999)

Kendall attended schools in England and Scotland, including St. Leonard's boarding school in Brighton, St. Margaret's convent school near Oban, and the Lydia Kyasht Dancing Academy in London. The actress's distinctive nose, an aristocratic swoop, was the result of plastic surgery after a car crash. As she told Dirk Bogarde, the surgeon had only two noses in his repertoire, "this one and the other one." The one she chose, Kendall explained, made it difficult to photograph her in profile.

Career

Her first major screen role was in the Sid Field, Petula Clark London Town, notable for being one of the costliest flops in British-film history. She co-starred with Clark again in the drama film Dance Hall (1950), and was featured in a quick succession of minor films before gaining fame in Genevieve (1953).

She followed this up with the even more popular first film in the Doctor series, the comedy film Doctor in the House (1954) with Dirk Bogarde. She was under contract to the Rank Organisation but was unhappy with the parts offered, turning down Value For Money (1955), As Long As You're Happy (1955) and Doctor at Sea (1955). She did appear in the drama film Simon and Laura (1955) with Peter Finch; the comedy film Abdulla the Great (1955) with Sydney Chaplin and Gregory Ratoff; and the epic historical film The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955), with Robert Taylor and Robert Morley. In October and November 1957, she appeared in two episodes of the short-lived American television series The Polly Bergen Show, a comedy-variety show on NBC.

In 1958, Kendall won a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Lady Sybil Wren in Les Girls – probably one of the best-known films of her career – the story of three showgirls in postwar Paris (the other actresses were Mitzi Gaynor and Taina Elg). The following year, she starred opposite Harrison in the comedy film The Reluctant Debutante. Kendall died in 1959 soon after completing her last film, the comedy Once More, with Feeling! (1960), starring opposite Yul Brynner.

Personal life

Early in her career, Kendall had a lengthy romance with actor Sydney Chaplin, the second son of actor Charlie Chaplin by his second wife, actress Lita Grey. She also had affairs with a Swedish prince and grocery heir James Sainsbury and reportedly had a romance with the future Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

In 1955, she starred opposite Harrison in The Constant Husband, and an affair soon followed. Harrison was married to actress Lilli Palmer at the time. However, when he learned from Kendall's doctor that Kendall had been diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia, he and Palmer agreed to divorce so he could marry Kendall and provide for her care. Kendall was never told of her illness and ended up believing she merely had an iron deficiency. As for the divorce, Palmer said she was not upset because she had a lover, too. Palmer and Harrison planned to remarry after Kendall's death, but Palmer ended up falling in love with her companion, actor Carlos Thompson, and married him instead.

Death

Following her death, she was buried in the churchyard of St John-at-Hampstead Church, Hampstead, London. On Sunday 22 September 2013 her final resting place was restored by The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.

Legacy

Her life is explored in the biographical book The Brief, Madcap Life Of Kay Kendall (2002) by Eve Golden and Kim Elizabeth Kendall.

The Withernsea Lighthouse is situated a stone's throw from where Kendall once lived. No longer in use as a lighthouse, it has been turned into a museum and has many items associated with her life and times.

The Kay Kendall Leukaemia fund supports scientific research into leukaemia http://www.kklf.org.uk/

Filmography

• Fiddlers Three (1943)
• Champagne Charlie (1944)
• Dreaming (1945)
• Waltz Time (1945)
• Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
• London Town (1946)
• Dance Hall (1950)
• Night and the City (1950)
• Happy Go Lovely (1951)
• Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951)
• Wings of Danger (1952)
• Curtain Up (1952)
• It Started in Paradise (1952)
• Mantrap (1953)
• Genevieve (1953)
• Street of Shadows (1953)
• Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953)
• The Square Ring (1953)
• Doctor in the House (1954)
• Fast and Loose (1954)
• The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955)
• Abdulla the Great (1955)
• Simon and Laura (1955)
• The Constant Husband (1955)
• Les Girls (1957)
• The Reluctant Debutante (1958)
• Once More, with Feeling! (1960)