Marie Kendall
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Marie Kendall (Marie Chester; 1873–1964)[1] was a British music hall comedienne and actress who had a successful career spanning 50 years.
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[edit] Biography
Marie Chester was born on July 28, 1873 in Victoria Park, London, England.[1] When she was five years old, she appeared on stage as Baby Chester and began her career in music halls.[2] When she was 15, she took the roles of principal boy in Aladdin and Dandini in Cinderella.[2] For several years she toured England, Wales and Germany as a male impersonator.[3] She enjoyed significant success in 1893 when she turned to female roles and sang "I'm One of the Girls" over 16 weeks in Camden Town.[2][3] After that, Kendall performed at major venues in London, securing parts in pantomimes as well as singing Cockney songs in the best music halls.[3] Her income dramatically increased.[2] During the 1920s Kendall toured Australia.[3] In 1931, she was an original star of the Vintage Variety Company.[2] The following year she performed in the Royal Variety Performance.[2] Performing regularly well into her 60s, she retired from the stage in 1939.[2]
[edit] Personal life
In 1895, she married singer and songwriter Steven McCarthy, son of music hall comedian John McCarthy.[3] They had four children; Terry, Shaun, Moya and Pat. As adults, Terry and Pat were a successful brother-sister dance act. Terry's daughter was actress Kay Kendall.[3] Marie Kendall died on May 5, 1964 in Clapham, London.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Marie Kendall. ThePeerage.com (2006-01-29). Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g Taylor & Francis Group (2003). A Historical Dictionary of British Women. Routledge, 256. ISBN 1857432282.
- ^ a b c d e f Golden, Eve (2002). The Brief, Madcap Life of Kay Kendall. University Press of Kentucky, 8. ISBN 0813122511.
