Kent Edwards

Kent Edwards, born Kenneth Edwards around 1918 in Wichita, Kansas, was an American musical theatre actor and nightclub singer whose career was centered in the 1940s. He died on August 7, 1993, in Miami, Florida, of a heart attack at the age of 75.

Edwards launched his career in Hollywood, making his stage debut in Thank You, Columbus, a musical revue written by Bob Wright and Chet Forrest, which played at the Hollywood Playhouse in 1940. His Broadway debut followed in the revue New Faces of 1943, in which he performed from December 22, 1942, through March 13, 1943.

The role most closely associated with Edwards was Einar in the operetta Song of Norway, with music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest. He originated the part at the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera in 1944 before bringing it to Broadway, where the production ran from August 21, 1944, through September 7, 1946. Edwards then continued with the show on its national tour from 1946 to 1947. In 1945 he recorded the role for Decca Records on the cast album. He also toured the United States alongside Milton Berle in Spring in Brazil.

Beyond the musical theatre stage, Edwards maintained an active career as a nightclub performer. He appeared at venues in Hollywood, Chicago, and New York City, including the Copacabana, and was a regular attraction at the Colonial Inn in Hallandale, Florida, during the late 1940s.