Jean Kendall

Jean Mary Kendall was born on 11th January 1924 at 61 Abington Road, Northampton, to Charles Henry & Emily Kate Kendall (nee Saxby). She was a natural performer and was very much encouraged by her mother to perform at every occasion possible. Performing in public started about age four when she was entered by Sister Gerrard, almost certainly of the Notre Dame, Convent School where she was at that time in the Welsh (travelling) Eisteddfod in Northampton to perform ‘The Little Black Hen’. She could still remember and recite this in 2004 at age eighty. At age six she went to the local school in St Michaels Avenue where. During her time there she attended dance classes and also elocution lessons with a Mrs Roberts.
In 1941 with some help from the likes of Mrs Roberts she got into R.A.D.A. where she was for two years. Here she became friends with fellow aspiring actors/actresses such as Betty China, Ilene Page, June Whitfield, Brian Forbes and Vari Faulkner.
In about 1942/3 she joined the Red Cross and was sent to Northampton General Hospital. On her first day had to lay out a dead gentleman. She was then sent to a recommissioned country mansion for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. This posting ended and the place was closed due to an infestation of fleas.
After the war in 1946 she joined Birmingham Repertory Company for the start of their August/September season. By their second production of that run, Androcles and the Lion her future husband John Paul had joined the Company. He had not long been released from a POW camp in Germany, having been a prisoner for three and a half years.
By 1948 she was being noticed as an accomplished actress and went to London in a play put on by the Birmingham Company. This led to offers of parts in London and elsewhere. However in 1950 she married John and was soon pregnant. She continued performing as long as possible and in fact performed with Andrew Sachs at this time. However John’s career was starting to take off and it was decided that she would stop acting and become a full time mother and support to him. He went on to star in Emergency Ward Ten, Probation Officer, Doomwatch etc.
They brought up a happy family of five boys. He died in 1995 and she followed on 6th Oct 2006 aged 82 years. She was a good actress but a great mother.

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