Early Life
She was born Justine Kay Kendall McCarthy, at Stanley House, Hull Road, in Withernsea, a coastal resort in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Kendall's father was Terrence "Terry" McCarthy (aka Terry Kendall), vaudevillian son of Marie Kendall, a music hall star known for her vivacious personality and perfect diction while singing. Her mother was the former Gladys Drewery.
She had two elder siblings:
- Terrence Justin Kendall McCarthy (born 1923)
- Patricia Kim Kendall McCarthy (aka Kim Kendall, born 1925)
By her father's second marriage to his professional dancing partner, Dora Spencer (aka Doric Spencer), she had a younger half-brother:
- Cavan Kendall McCarthy (aka Cavan Kendall) (1942-1999)
Kendall attended schools in England and Scotland, including St. Leonard's boarding school in Brighton, St. Margaret's convent school near Oban, and the Lydia Kyasht Dancing Academy in London.
The actress's distinctive nose, an aristocratic swoop, was the result of plastic surgery after a car crash. As she told Bogarde, the surgeon had only two noses in his repertoire, "this one and the other one." The one she chose, Kendall explained, made it difficult to photograph her in profile.
Read more about this topic: Kay Kendall
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