Felicity Kendal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Felicity Kendal CBE
Felicity Kendal in June 2024
Born	(1946-09-25) 25 September 1946 (age 78) Olton, Warwickshire, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1947–present
Spouse(s)	Drewe Henley ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1979)​ Michael Rudman ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 1990)​
Partner(s)	Tom Stoppard (1991–1998) Michael Rudman (1998–2023; his death)
Children	2, including Charley Henley
Parents	Geoffrey Kendal (father) Laura Liddell (mother)
Relatives	Jennifer Kendal (sister)

Felicity Ann Kendal (born 25 September 1946) is a famous English actress. She has worked in television and theatre for over 70 years! You might know her best as Barbara Good from the TV show The Good Life, which aired from 1975 to 1977.

Felicity was born in Olton, England. When she was seven, her family moved to India. Her father was an actor who ran his own theatre group, touring India. Felicity started acting with his company when she was very young. She even appeared in a film called Shakespeare Wallah (1965), which was inspired by her family's life.

Felicity Kendal's Early Life and Acting Beginnings

Felicity Kendal was born in Olton, England, in 1946. Her parents were Laura Liddell and Geoffrey Kendal, who was an actor and manager. Her older sister, Jennifer Kendal, also became an actress.

When Felicity was seven, her family moved to India. Her father led a theatre group that performed Shakespeare plays all over India. They would perform for royalty one day and in small villages the next. Felicity acted in many of these plays. She attended several different schools in India as her family traveled.

First TV Roles

Felicity started appearing on television in 1966. She was in two episodes of a show called Love Story. She also played a teenage hippie in an episode of The Wednesday Play. Other early TV roles included parts in Man in a Suitcase (1967) and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1968–69).

In 1975, she played Princess Vicky in Edward the Seventh. People liked her "girlish good looks and bubbly confidence," and audiences quickly grew fond of her.

Becoming a Star in The Good Life

Felicity Kendal got her big break on television with the BBC sitcom The Good Life. This popular show started in 1975.

What Was The Good Life About?

In The Good Life, Felicity Kendal and Richard Briers played Barbara and Tom Good. They were a middle-class couple who decided to leave their normal jobs and try to live off the land. This meant growing their own food and raising animals in their suburban garden! Their posh neighbors, Margo (Penelope Keith) and Jerry Leadbetter (Paul Eddington), were often surprised by their plans.

Felicity appeared in all 30 episodes of the show, which ran for four series and two special episodes until 1977.

How Felicity Got the Role

The BBC's Head of Comedy, Jimmy Gilbert, wanted to create a show for Richard Briers. He saw Felicity and Penelope Keith acting in a play called The Norman Conquests. He thought they would be perfect for the roles of Barbara and Margo. Richard Briers asked Felicity to try out for the part, and she was very eager to get it. She felt a good connection with Briers, who was already a well-known actor.

The show's producer also saw the play, and both Felicity and Penelope got their parts. The writers of the show felt that having a cast of experienced actors made writing the episodes easier. Felicity later said that the actors' experience and their focus on being "actors first and stars second" helped make the show a big success. She felt they worked together very well and were all dedicated to the show.

Barbara Good's Role in the Show

Barbara Good, Felicity's character, sometimes had doubts about Tom's self-sufficiency plans. However, she always supported him. She helped him emotionally and practically. Viewers could see that Barbara and Tom had a great marriage and understood each other very well.

The Good Life quickly became very popular. About 14 million people watched new episodes. The writers decided to end the show when they felt the main stories had finished. The last regular episode aired in May 1977, followed by a Christmas special. The show is still often repeated on the BBC and continues to attract many viewers.

Felicity Kendal is still strongly linked to her character, Barbara Good. She has said that the show "is always on some channel or another. I think it's rather nice. It's following me like a good fairy." She also felt that Barbara was a very appealing character: "feisty, strong but adoring, up for anything, very funny."

Felicity Kendal's Later TV Shows

After The Good Life, the BBC's Head of Comedy gave Felicity Kendal another starring role in a new series. This was Solo (1981–82).

More Sitcom Success

In Solo, Felicity played Gemma Palmer, a woman who decides to live on her own after breaking up with her boyfriend. The same writer also wrote The Mistress (1985 and 1987). In this show, Felicity played a florist named Maxine. Both Solo and The Mistress were well-liked by viewers.

Drama and Detective Roles

Felicity also starred in the drama The Camomile Lawn (1992). She played Helena Cuthbertson, who owned a large mansion. This show was very popular, attracting over seven million viewers. As of 2022, it was still the most-watched drama ever on Channel 4.

However, a sitcom called Honey for Tea (1994) was not very successful. After this, Felicity focused more on her theatre work for a few years.

In 2003, she returned to TV in Rosemary & Thyme. She co-starred with Pam Ferris. They played a pair of gardeners who also solved mysteries! Felicity's character, Rosemary Boxer, was a university lecturer in gardening. Even though some critics didn't love the show, it was very popular with viewers. It became the most-watched new drama series on ITV1 in 2006.

Felicity Kendal's Amazing Stage Career

Felicity Kendal's career on stage really grew in the 1980s and 1990s. She worked closely with famous playwright Tom Stoppard.

Working with Tom Stoppard

Felicity starred in the very first performances of many of Tom Stoppard's plays. These included On the Razzle (1981), The Real Thing (1982), Hapgood (1988), and Arcadia (1993).

One expert said that Felicity gave a "towering performance" in Hapgood, which was a very complex role. Her role as Hannah Jarvis in Arcadia was seen as a perfect fit for her. Hannah was energetic, curious, strong, and had a lively spirit, much like Barbara Good from The Good Life.

Felicity and Tom Stoppard also had a romantic relationship for eight years. Stoppard even dedicated a radio play, In the Native State (1991), to her. This play was later made into a stage play called Indian Ink (1995). Felicity starred in both versions as Flora Crewe, a poet who travels to India. Critics praised her performance, calling it "funny, mischievous" and "exceptionally touching." Stoppard also translated a play called The Seagull just so Felicity could play the character Madame Arkadina (1997).

Other Notable Stage Roles

Felicity also appeared in ten plays directed by Peter Hall. Her first role with him was Constanze Mozart in Amadeus (1979). She learned a lot from this experience, saying it taught her to focus on the whole play, not just her own part.

She won the Evening Standard Theatre Award in 1989 for her performances in Much Ado About Nothing and Ivanov. Critics said she was delightful as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, with her "remarkable charm and her beautiful comic timing."

In 2003, her performance as Winnie in Happy Days was highly praised. A critic said she brought "genuine emotional reality" to the role. In 2006, she starred as Esme in Amy's View, which was her tenth time working with director Peter Hall.

Felicity took on her first role in a musical in 2021. She played Evangeline Harcourt in the London show Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre. In 2023, she starred as Dotty Otley in Noises Off in London. A reviewer said she was "more brilliant than ever" in this role.

Other Work and Personal Life

In 1982, Felicity Kendal released an album called Shape Up and Dance with Felicity Kendal. It featured a fitness routine based on yoga and ballet. The album was very popular, selling over 200,000 copies and staying in the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart for 13 weeks.

In 1995, she was one of the people who read Edward Lear poems on a spoken-word CD.

Family and Faith

Felicity Kendal has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Drewe Henley (1968–1979), and her second was to Michael Rudman (1983–1991). Both marriages ended in divorce. She has two sons: Charley from her first marriage and Jacob from her second. She got back together with Michael Rudman in 1998, and they remained partners until he passed away in 2023.

Felicity was raised Catholic. She later converted to Judaism around the time of her second marriage. She said that converting felt like "returning to my roots" and that her decision had nothing to do with her husband. Her memories of her life were published in a book called White Cargo in 1998.

Awards and Recognition

In 1995, Felicity Kendal was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This honor was given to her for her great contributions to drama. She is also an ambassador for the charity Royal Voluntary Service.

Selected Filmography

Theatre Performances

Felicity Kendal's first two stage appearances were for her family's theatre company in England. She played a changeling boy in A Midsummer Night's Dream when she was just nine months old! Five years later, she played the Changeling in the same play. When her family's company returned to Asia, she took on many other roles, including Macduff's son in Macbeth, Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Ophelia in Hamlet.

Television Roles

Film Roles

Awards and Achievements

Felicity Kendal has won several awards for her acting.