Les Girls - British Actresses of the 1950s

1-28 February 2006, Reading Room

Kay Kendall (1926 - 1959)

British actress Kay Kendall was best known for her roles in Genevieve, Les Girls, and Simon and Laura. Her career was tragically cut short at the age of 32 when she died of leukaemia. For a complete biography and filmography, see the Screenonline entry on Kay Kendall.

Reading Room Display

To tie-in with a season of Kay Kendall's films at the NFT, the bfi National Library was proud to present a selection of materials available on her and other lovely ladies of 50s British cinema.

The Library holds a number of biographies on actresses who all made their mark in this decade, either as leading ladies or character players, including Diana Dors, Joan Sims, Sylvia Sims, Jean Simmons and Joyce Grenfell, among others. Although these actresses began working in England, many moved on to Hollywood in order to further their careers.

Examples from the bfi's Special Collections were also on display, including the original shooting script for Doctor in the House, the post-production script for Genevieve, and examples of contemporary film periodicals. You can also access reviews and interviews on these actresses and their films through our collection of microjackets (available in the Library Reading Room).

Further Reading

British Cinema of the 1950s Reading List (PDF, 32kb)

Images courtesy of bfi Stills, Posters and Designs.

For more information on the holdings of the bfi National Library, check our online catalogue or contact us.