Suzy Kendall (born Freda Harriet Harrison; 1 January 1937[1]) is a British retired actress best known for her film roles in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Suzy Kendall | |
|---|---|
 Kendall in Torso (1973) | |
| Born | Freda Harriet Harrison 1 January 1937[1] Belper, Derbyshire, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1965–2012 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Elodie Harper |
Early life
editBorn in Belper, Derbyshire, Kendall attended the Herbert Strutt Grammar School.[2]
Later she attended Derby & District College of Art where she studied painting and design.
Career
editKendall was a fabric designer at British Celanese and then became a photographic model before becoming an actress. She initially appeared in supporting roles before progressing to female leads in a number of British films in the late 1960s. In the early 1970s, she appeared in several Italian giallo thrillers before returning to Britain and played supporting roles in a few more films until her retirement from screen acting in 1977.
In 2012, Kendall made her first film appearance in 35 years in Berberian Sound Studio, billed in some sources as the mother of the lead character Gilderoy, played by Toby Jones, though the end credits on the film list her as "special guest screamer".[3] The film is about a sound engineer working on an Italian horror film, which alludes to several appearances Kendall made in Italian genre films during the 1970s.
Personal life
editIn 1968, Kendall married pianist, comedian and actor Dudley Moore, and though they divorced in 1972, they remained friends until Moore's death in 2002.[4]
She remarried musician Sandy Harper shortly after her divorce. He was subsequently befriended by Moore who became godfather to their daughter Elodie.[5] In 2002 she hosted a memorial service for Moore attended by her second husband and daughter.
Kendall now lives in London with her second husband Sandy Harper. Their daughter Elodie Harper is a journalist (at ITV Anglia) and novelist.[5]
Filmography
edit- The Liquidator (1965) - Judith
- Thunderball (1965) - Prue (uncredited)
- Up Jumped a Swagman (1965) - Melissa Smythe-Fury
- Circus of Fear (1966) - Natasha
- The Sandwich Man (1966) - Sue
- To Sir, with Love (1967) - Gillian Blanchard
- The Penthouse (1967) - Barbara Willason
- Up the Junction (1968) - Polly
- 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1968) - Louise Hammond
- Fräulein Doktor (1969) - Fräulein Doktor
- The Gamblers (1970) - Candace
- The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) - Julia
- Darker Than Amber (1970) - Vangie / Merrimay
- Assault (aka In the Devil's Garden) (1971) - Julie West
- Fear Is the Key (1972) - Sarah Ruthven
- Torso (1973) - Jane
- Tales That Witness Madness (1973) - Ann / Beatrice (segment 2 "Penny Farthing")
- Story of a Cloistered Nun (1973) - Mother Superior
- Spasmo (1974) - Barbara
- Craze (1974) - Sally
- To the Bitter End (1975) - Joan Jordan
- Adventures of a Private Eye (1977) - Laura
- Berberian Sound Studio (2012) - Special Guest Screamer
TV appearances
edit- The Spies (1 episode, 1966) - Polly Katt
- Further Adventures of Lucky Jim (1 episode, 1967)
- The Persuaders! (1 episode, 1971) - Kay Hunter
- Van der Valk (1 episode, 1977) - Marijka
References
edit- ^ a b "FreeBMD Entry Info". www.freebmd.org.uk.
- ^ Derby Evening Telegraph Thursday 14 November 1991, page 8
- ^ Berberian Sound Studio – review The Observer, written by Philip French,2 September 2012.Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ "From humble beginnings to Hollywood". BBC News. 27 March 2002. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ a b Russell, Steve. "Writer and Anglia TV reporter Elodie Harper: I wish I'd got to know my godfather Dudley Moore better". Eastern Daily Press. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2020.