Suzy Kendall

Suzy Kendall (born Freda Harriet Harrison; 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 1937 (age 87–88)[1] Belper, Derbyshire, England, UK
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1965–2012
Spouses	Dudley Moore ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1972)​ Sandy Harper ​ ​ (after 1978)​
Children	Elodie Harper

Early life

Born 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

Kendall 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.

Kendall in Story of a Cloistered Nun (1973)

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

In 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 married musician Sandy Harper shortly after her divorce. He was subsequently befriended by Moore who became godfather to their daughter Elodie Harper.^[5] In 2002 she hosted a memorial service for Moore attended by her second husband and daughter.

As of 2018, Kendall and Harper live in London. Their daughter, Elodie, is a journalist (at ITV Anglia) and novelist.^[5]

Filmography

• 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

• 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