" Comedic film actress Kay Kendall, born to a
theatrical family in Northern England, came of age in
London during the Blitz. After starring in Britain's
biggest cinematic disaster, she found stardom in 1953
with her brilliant performance in the low-budget film,
Genevieve . She scored success after success with her
light comic style in movies such as Doctor in the House
, The Reluctant Debutante , and the Gene Kelly musical
Les Girls . Kendall's private life was even more
colorful than the plots of her films as she embarked on
a series of affairs with minor royalty, costars,
directors, producers, and married men. In 1954 she fell
in love with her married Constant Husband costar Rex
Harrison and accompanied him to New York, where he was
starring on Broadway in My Fair Lady . It was there that
Kendall was diagnosed with myelocytic leukemia. Her life
took a romantic and tragic turn as Harrison divorced his
wife and married Kendall. He agreed with their doctor
that she was never to know of her diagnosis, and for the
next two years the couple lived a hectic, glamorous life
together as Kendall's health failed. She died in London
at the age of 32, shortly after completing the filming
of Once More with Feeling!, her husband by her side. The
Brief, Madcap Life of Kay Kendall was written with the
cooperation of Kendall's sister Kim and includes
interviews with many of her costars, relatives and
friends. A complete filmography and numerous rare
photographs complete this first-ever biography of
Britain's most glamorous comic star. Eve Golden is the
author of several biographies of actresses, Anna Held
and the Birth of Ziegfeld's Broadway, as well as a
collection of essays on silent film stars.
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