Geoffrey Kendal Biography 
Geoffrey Kendal was a film director and theater personality from Kendal, Westmorland, who is known for his contributions in Indian entertainment industry, pre-dominantly in theater. He was an English actor-manager, who delivered Shakespeare performances throughout India in the 1940s & 1950s. For his contributions to Indian theatre, he along with his wife Laura Liddell was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in "Theatre - Direction". Both his daughters Jennifer and Felicity Kendal became successful actresses. Jennifer was married to the charming hero of Bollywood, Shashi Kapoor, and Geoffrey Kendal worked with his son-in-law for many English movies and Shakespeare dramas. Thus he is a close relative to famous Kapoor family of Bollywood.
His real name is Richard Geoffrey Bragg. He took his place name Kendal as his surname later. He married the actress Laura Liddell in 1933, and they had a long married life of almost 60 years till her death in 1992. His daughter Jennifer who was married to the youngest Kapoor brother, Shashi died before that. She died in 1984. Geoffrey is the maternal grandfather of noted cine personalities, Sanjana Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor and Karan Kapoor.
Geoffrey attended theatre classes at Lancaster during his younger days, and started his professional career with various repertory theatre companies. Most of his early shows were targeted in small towns. He met his future wife, Laura Liddell in Merseyside and got married in 1933. After working with several groups, he reached India in 1944 and finally succeeded in his career. He worked as an actor-manager of leading the repertory theatre company "Shakespeareana" and toured across India in the 1940s and 1950s.
Merchant Ivory’s movie, Shakespeare Wallah (1965) starring Shashi Kapoor and his daughter Felicity Kendal drew inspirations from Geoffrey’s life and he even essayed his fictionalized character on screen. In a couple of Bollywood movies, Junoon and 36 Chowringhee Lane where Jennifer Kendal played female lead, he also portrayed important characters. He passed away on May 1998, aged 89.
Published: N/A
Updated: November 30, 2017
