William H. Kendal

William Hunter Kendal, born William Hunter Grimston on 16 December 1843 in London, was an English actor and theatre manager who appeared on Broadway between 1893 and 1899. The middle son of portrait artist Edward Hunter Grimston and his wife Louisa, née Rider, Kendal came from a family with artistic inclinations — his maternal grandfather was also a painter, and he himself showed early aptitude for visual art. His parents directed him toward medicine, but frequent visits to the Soho Theatre to sketch performers drew him instead to the stage. He made his acting debut in 1861, playing Louis XIV in A Life's Revenge at the Soho Theatre, billed as "Mr. Kendall." He died on 7 November 1917 in London at the age of 74.

After two years at the Soho Theatre, Kendal moved to provincial venues, spending four years in Glasgow performing alongside Charles Kean and others before relocating to London in 1866 to join J. B. Buckstone's company at the Haymarket Theatre. There he worked across a broad range of material, from burlesque to Shakespeare, earning particular recognition for his comic performances. In 1869 he married actress Madge Robertson, a sister of dramatist T. W. Robertson. From that point, the couple performed almost exclusively together under the billing "Mr. and Mrs. Kendal," and their professional identities became effectively inseparable.

Among Kendal's notable roles during the Haymarket years and beyond were Orlando opposite his wife's Rosalind in As You Like It in 1871, Jack Absolute to her Lydia Languish in The Rivals in 1870, Young Marlowe to her Kate Hardcastle, and Charles Surface opposite her Lady Teazle. He also played Pygmalion to her Galatea in W. S. Gilbert's Pygmalion and Galatea in 1871. The Kendals appeared in a series of Gilbert's fairy comedies in the early 1870s, including The Palace of Truth in 1870, The Wicked World in 1873, Broken Hearts in 1875, and Gilbert's drama Charity in 1874. Additional credits included Captain Beauclerc in Diplomacy, a play by B. C. Stephenson and Clement Scott adapted from Sardou's Dora, which the couple performed at the Prince of Wales's Theatre under the management of the Bancrofts in 1878, and Colonel Blake in J. Palgrave Simpson's A Scrap of Paper.

In 1879 the Kendals entered into a joint management arrangement with John Hare at the St. James's Theatre, where they presented numerous works including plays by Arthur Wing Pinero. Notable productions during this period included The Squire, Impulse, The Ironmaster, and A Scrap of Paper. The partnership with Hare concluded in 1888, after which the Kendals shifted primarily to touring. They made their American debut in A Scrap of Paper in 1889, and the success of that first North American tour led to several additional American seasons over the following years.

It was during this touring period that Kendal made his Broadway appearances, performing in New York between 1893 and 1899. His Broadway credits included the play The Elder Miss Blossom and the play The Second Mrs. Tanqueray, the latter being Pinero's work in which he played Aubrey Tanqueray opposite his wife's portrayal of Paula. The Kendals continued performing until 1908, when both retired.

Beyond his work as a performer, Kendal was a capable businessman and manager who invested his share of theatre profits and assembled a substantial collection of contemporary paintings, which he and his wife displayed in their homes. He was a long-standing member of the Garrick Club — his wife later donated a portrait of him by Hugh Walpole to the club — and he also belonged to the Junior Carlton, Beefsteak, Arts, Cosmopolitan, and AA clubs. His personal interests included fishing, shooting, cycling, and riding. He and Madge had five children, though the couple became estranged from them.