Marie Kendall (born Mary Ann Florence Holyome; 27 July 1873 – 5 May 1964) was a British music hall comedian and actress who had a successful career spanning 50 years.

Biography

Kendall was born Mary Ann Florence Holyome on 27 July 1873 in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...

, London. At five years of age, she appeared onstage as "Baby Chester", beginning her career in music halls. When she was 15, she took the roles of principal boy in '' Aladdin'' and Dandini in ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

''. For several years she toured England, Wales and Germany as a

male impersonator Drag kings are mostly female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of an individual or group routine. A typical drag show may incorporate dancing, acting, stand-up comedy and singing, ...

. 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. After that, Kendall performed at major venues in London, securing parts in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

s as well as singing

Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...

songs in the best music halls. Her income dramatically increased. During the 1920s Kendall toured Australia. In 1931, she was an original star of the Vintage Variety Company. The following year she performed in the Royal Variety Performance. Performing regularly well into her 60s, and retired from the stage in 1939.

Personal life

In 1895, she married singer-songwriter Stephen McCarthy, the son of music hall comedian John McCarthy. The couple had four children; Terence, Shaun, Moya, and Pat. As adults, Terry and Pat were a successful brother-sister dance act. Terry's daughter was the actress

Kay Kendall Kay Kendall (21 May 1927 – 6 September 1959) was an English actress and comedienne. She began her film career in the musical film '' London Town'' (1946), a financial failure. Kendall worked regularly until her appearance in the comedy film ...

Death

Marie Kendall died on 5 May 1964 in

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history ...

, London. On 25 September 2011 a commemorative blue plaque was erected to Marie Kendall by the theatre charity

The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America and the Theatre and Film Guild of Great Britain and America is a registered theatre charity and non-profit making theatre organisation based in London. The Guild's patrons include Brian Croucher ...

at her former residence in Clapham.

Legacy

Kendall happened to be performing in Dublin on 16 June 1904, the fictional date of James Joyce's novel Ulysses, and a supposed poster depicting her as a "charming soubrette" becomes a minor motif in the book.

Filmography

* '' Say It with Flowers'' (1934)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kendall, Marie 1873 births 1964 deaths Actresses from London English stage actresses English women comedians Music hall performers People from Bethnal Green Comedians from London