Jennifer Kendal
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Kapoor - born Jennifer Kendal - (28 February 1933 – 7 September 1984) was a British
actress who married Shashi Kapoor
of the Kapoor family.
, England
, but spent much of her youth in India
. Her parents (she was the daughter of Geoffrey Kendal
and Laura Liddell and elder sister of Felicity Kendal
), ran a travelling theatre company, "Shakespeareana", which traveled around India as described in the book and film, Shakespeare Wallah
(starring Kendal herself, her husband Shashi Kapoor
, her father, and her sister Felicity).
troupe, while she was playing Miranda in the play The Tempest, by the Shakespeareana travelling troupe. Soon, Shashi Kapoor started touring with the Shakespeareana Company, and in July 1958 they married. Kendal and her husband were also instrumental in the rejuvenation of Prithvi Theatre
in Mumbai
, with the opening of their theatre in Juhu, Mumbai
in 1978, which is today one of the most important theatre destinations in the city, a venture now managed by her daughter Sanjana. Kendal and Kapoor also starred in a number of films together, particularly those produced by Merchant Ivory Productions
.
, who now runs Prithvi Theatre
, and two sons, Kunal Kapoor
, who is an actor, and Karan Kapoor
, a photographer and erstwhile actor.
She died of cancer
in 1984.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
actress who married Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
of the Kapoor family.
Childhood
Jennifer Kendal was born in SouthportSouthport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but spent much of her youth in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Her parents (she was the daughter of Geoffrey Kendal
Geoffrey Kendal
Geoffrey Kendal was an English actor-manager.Born Richard Geoffrey Bragg in Kendal, Westmorland, he took the name of his place of birth as his surname. He married the actress Laura Liddell...
and Laura Liddell and elder sister of Felicity Kendal
Felicity Kendal
Felicity Ann Kendal, CBE is an English actor known for her television and stage work.Born in 1946, Kendal spent much of her childhood in India, where her father managed a touring repertory company. First appearing on stage at the age of nine months, Kendal appeared in her first film, Shakespeare...
), ran a travelling theatre company, "Shakespeareana", which traveled around India as described in the book and film, Shakespeare Wallah
Shakespeare Wallah
Shakespeare Wallah is a 1965 Merchant Ivory Productions film. The story and screenplay are by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Madhur Jaffrey won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance...
(starring Kendal herself, her husband Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
, her father, and her sister Felicity).
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer met for the first time in Calcutta, in 1956, where he was part of Prithvi TheatrePrithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...
troupe, while she was playing Miranda in the play The Tempest, by the Shakespeareana travelling troupe. Soon, Shashi Kapoor started touring with the Shakespeareana Company, and in July 1958 they married. Kendal and her husband were also instrumental in the rejuvenation of Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...
in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, with the opening of their theatre in Juhu, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in 1978, which is today one of the most important theatre destinations in the city, a venture now managed by her daughter Sanjana. Kendal and Kapoor also starred in a number of films together, particularly those produced by Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often...
.
Personal life
The Kapoors had three children: a daughter Sanjana KapoorSanjana Kapoor
Sanjana Kapoor is an Indian theatre personality and former Indian film actress, who has been running the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai since 1993. till 2012 February. -Biography:...
, who now runs Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre
Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It belongs to the Kapoor family, one of the most influential actor/director families in Bollywood. The theatre is named after Prithviraj Kapoor who first founded 'Prithvi Theatres', a travelling theatre company in 1944. The company ran for...
, and two sons, Kunal Kapoor
Kunal Kapoor (Kapoor family)
Kunal Kapoor is a former Indian film actor of British and Indian descent. He is the eldest son of Shashi Kapoor and late Jennifer Kendal. Not to be confused with the young Indian actor Kunal Kapoor who starred in Rang De Basanti and Hattrick....
, who is an actor, and Karan Kapoor
Karan Kapoor
Karan Kapoor, Indian actor and model of the 1980s, is a member of the famous Kapoor family, an influential film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema.-Career:...
, a photographer and erstwhile actor.
She died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1984.
Filmography
- Ghare-Baire (1984) - Miss Gilby (The Home and the World)
- The Far PavilionsThe Far PavilionsThe Far Pavilions is an epic novel of British-Indian history by M. M. Kaye, first published in 1978, which tells the story of an English officer during the Great Game. The novel, rooted deeply in the romantic epics of the 19th century, has been hailed as a masterpiece of storytelling...
(1984) - Mrs. Viccary - Heat and DustHeat and Dust (film)Heat and Dust is a 1983 romantic drama film with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based upon her novel, Heat and Dust. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant...
(1983)- Mrs. Saunders - 36 Chowringhee Lane36 Chowringhee Lane36 Chowringee Lane is a 1981 film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Shashi Kapoor. The film was very well received upon release. It stars Jennifer Kendal in a critically acclaimed role and Debashree Roy.-Plot:...
(1981) Miss Violet Stoneham - JunoonJunoon (1978 film)The soundtrack features 4 songs, composed by Vanraj Bhatia, with original lyrics from Yogesh Praveen and other lyrics by Amir Khusro, Jigar Moradabadi and Sant Kabir.#"Khusro rain piya ki jaagi pee ke sang" – Jamil Ahmad...
- Ruth's Mother - Bombay TalkieBombay TalkieBombay Talkie is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory. Bombay Talkies was a film studio that made films in the early part of the Hindi film industry.-Plot:...
(1970)- Lucia Lane - Shakespeare WallahShakespeare WallahShakespeare Wallah is a 1965 Merchant Ivory Productions film. The story and screenplay are by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Madhur Jaffrey won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance...
(1965) - Mrs. Bowen
Costume Design
- MuktiMukti (1977 film)Mukti is a 1977 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by Raj Tilak, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Vidya Sinha and Mithun Chakraborty-Plot:...
(1977) - JunoonJunoon (1978 film)The soundtrack features 4 songs, composed by Vanraj Bhatia, with original lyrics from Yogesh Praveen and other lyrics by Amir Khusro, Jigar Moradabadi and Sant Kabir.#"Khusro rain piya ki jaagi pee ke sang" – Jamil Ahmad...
(1978)
Awards
- 1983: BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBest Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :...
- 36 Chowringhee Lane36 Chowringhee Lane36 Chowringee Lane is a 1981 film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Shashi Kapoor. The film was very well received upon release. It stars Jennifer Kendal in a critically acclaimed role and Debashree Roy.-Plot:...
- Nominated - 1982: Evening Standard British Film AwardsEvening Standard British Film AwardsThe Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by the British London area evening newspaper Evening Standard. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony honours films from the previous...
- Best Actress: 36 Chowringhee Lane36 Chowringhee Lane36 Chowringee Lane is a 1981 film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Shashi Kapoor. The film was very well received upon release. It stars Jennifer Kendal in a critically acclaimed role and Debashree Roy.-Plot:...
- Won
External links
- Biography from The Kapoor Family website
- She didn’t really look at me: Shashi Kapoor recounts his and Jennifer Kendal’s first, and lasting, meeting in Calcutta to Deepa Gahlot - The TelegraphThe Telegraph (Kolkata)The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...