Jean Kent
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Jean Kent (born Joan Mildred Field; 29 June 1921 − 30 November 2013) was an English film and television actress.


Biography

Born Joan Mildred Field (sometimes incorrectly cited as Summerfield) in
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
, London in 1921, the only child of variety performers Norman Field (né Summerfield) and Nina Norre ( Mildred Noaks), whose marriage was registered in 1925, according to the General Register Index of England and Wales. Kent started her theatrical career at age 10 in 1931 as a dancer. She used the stage name Jean Carr when she appeared as a
chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms s ...
in the
Windmill Theatre The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude ''tableaux vivants'', which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians of t ...
in London from which she was fired by
Vivian Van Damm Vivian Van Damm (28 June 1889 – 14 December 1960) was a prominent British theatre impresario from 1932 until 1960, managing the Windmill Theatre in London's Great Windmill Street. The theatre was famed for its pioneering ''tableaux vivants'' o ...
.


Gainsborough Pictures

She signed to
Gainsborough Pictures Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, north London. Gainsborough Studios was active between 1924 and 1951. The com ...
during the Second World War. Kent had small roles in ''
It's That Man Again ''It's That Man Again'' (commonly contracted to ''ITMA'') was a BBC radio comedy programme which ran for twelve series from 1939 to 1949. The shows featured Tommy Handley in the central role, a fast-talking figure, around whom the other cha ...
'' (1943), ''
Miss London Ltd. ''Miss London Ltd.'' is a 1943 British, black-and-white, comedy, musical, war film, directed by Val Guest and starring Arthur Askey and Evelyn Dall. It was produced by Edward Black, Maurice Ostrer, Fred Gunn and Gainsborough Pictures. Plot ...
'' (1943) and ''
Warn That Man ''Warn That Man'' is a 1943 British comedy thriller film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Gordon Harker, Raymond Lovell and Finlay Currie. It was based on the 1941 play '' Warn That Man!'' by Vernon Sylvaine which had run for te ...
'' (1944). Kent had a good role in ''
Two Thousand Women ''Two Thousand Women'' is a 1944 British comedy-drama war film about a German internment camp in Occupied France which holds British women who have been resident in the country. Three RAF aircrewmen, whose bomber has been shot down, enter the c ...
'' (1944), playing a stripper who is interned by the Germans. She was a Pacific Islander in '' Bees in Paradise'' (1944) with
Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey, (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation ...
and was the ingenue in a
Tommy Trinder Thomas Edward Trinder CBE (24 March 1909 – 10 July 1989) was an English stage, screen and radio comedian whose catchphrase was "You lucky people!". Described by cultural historian Matthew Sweet as "a cocky, front-of-cloth variety turn", he was ...
musical '' Champagne Charlie'' (1944). The turning point in her career came when she was given a dramatic part in the
Gainsborough melodrama The Gainsborough melodramas were a sequence of films produced by the British film studio Gainsborough Pictures between 1943 and 1947 which conformed to a melodramatic style.Brooke, Michael. (2014)Gainsborough Melodrama Screenonline British Film Ins ...
film '' Fanny by Gaslight'' (1944). She played a part turned down by
Margaret Lockwood Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was an English actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1938), ''Night Train to Munich' ...
, that of the childhood friend of the character played by
Phyllis Calvert Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill (née Bickle; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as Phyllis Calvert, was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 1 ...
, who becomes the mistress of
James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...
. The movie, also starring
Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...
, was a box-office success in Britain and established Kent as Gainsborough's back up to Margaret Lockwood. Kent played another sexually aggressive young woman in ''
Madonna of the Seven Moons ''Madonna of the Seven Moons'' is a 1945 British drama film directed by Arthur Crabtree for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger and Patricia Roc. The film was produced by Rubeigh James Minney, with cinematography ...
'' (1945) with Calvert and Granger. It was a big hit. Rank borrowed her to support
Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play ''French Without Tears'', in what ...
in ''
The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings ''A Rake's Progres ...
'' (1945) then back at Gainsborough she was in '' Waterloo Road'' (1945) with John Mills and Granger.


Stardom

Kent shared top billing with Granger in '' Caravan'' (1946), playing a gypsy girl in another melodrama. It was a big hit and Kent was given a new contract. Granger and Kent were reunited in ''
The Magic Bow ''The Magic Bow'' is a 1946 British musical film based on the life and loves of the Italian violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini. It was directed by Bernard Knowles. The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Stewart ...
'' (1946), with Kent again taking a part originally meant for Margaret Lockwood. "There was a pecking order at Gainsborough," said Kent later. "First Margaret, then Pat, then Phyllis, then me. I was the odds-and-sods girl. I used to mop up the parts that other people didn't want." After a support role in ''
Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
'' (1946) with
Michael Wilding Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding (23 July 1912 – 8 July 1979) was an English stage, television, and film actor. He is best known for a series of films he made with Anna Neagle; he also made two films with Alfred Hitchcock, '' Under Capric ...
, Kent was the female lead in '' The Man Within'' (1947), a costume adventure from a novel by
Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...
. Kent had a good part in ''
The Loves of Joanna Godden ''The Loves of Joanna Godden'' is a 1947 British historical drama film directed by Charles Frend and produced by Michael Balcon. The screenplay was written by H. E. Bates and Angus MacPhail from the novel '' Joanna Godden'' (1921) by Sheila Ka ...
'' (1947) and was given a star role in ''
Good-Time Girl ''Good-Time Girl'' is a 1948 British film noir-crime drama film directed by David MacDonald. A homeless girl is asked to explain her bad behaviour in the juvenile court, and says she’s run away from home because she’s unhappy there. They ex ...
'' (1948), a melodrama about a girl who goes off the rails. Kent was top billed as one of several names in ''
Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...
'' (1948) and was the female lead in a thriller ''
Sleeping Car to Trieste ''Sleeping Car to Trieste'' is a 1948 British comedy thriller film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Jean Kent, Albert Lieven, Derrick De Marney and Rona Anderson. It was shot at Denham Studios outside London. The film's sets were de ...
'' (1948), playing a spy. Kent had her best chance yet playing the lead in a musical ''
Trottie True ''Trottie True'' is a 1949 British musical comedy film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Jean Kent, James Donald and Hugh Sinclair. It was known as ''The Gay Lady'' in the US, and is an infrequent British Technicolor film of the per ...
'' (1949) which became her favourite film. She made a comedy in Italy, ''
Her Favourite Husband ''Her Favourite Husband'' (also known by the alternative titles ''The Taming of Dorothy'' and ''Quel bandito sono io'') is a 1950 British-Italian comedy film directed by Mario Soldati and starring Jean Kent, Robert Beatty and Margaret Rutherford ...
'' (1950) and appeared opposite
Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Organ ...
in ''
The Woman in Question ''The Woman in Question'' (released in the United States as ''Five Angles on Murder'') is a 1950 British Murder-mystery film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Jean Kent, Dirk Bogarde and John McCallum. After a woman is murdered, the comp ...
'' (1950). In 1950, Kent was voted the 9th biggest British star in Britain."Success of British Films." ''The Times'' London, England 29 December 1950: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012. The following year she was 8th. Kent starred in the melodrama '' The Reluctant Widow'' (1951) then had a good role as the wife in '' The Browning Version'' (1951). Kent was in a thriller ''
The Lost Hours ''The Lost Hours'' is a 1952 British film noir directed by David MacDonald and starring Mark Stevens, Jean Kent and John Bentley. It was produced by Tempean Films which specialised in making second features at the time, and marked Kent's fi ...
'' (1952) with American actor Mark Stevens and '' Before I Wake'' (1955). She appeared in
Arthur Watkyn Arthur Watkins (1907–1965) was a British writer and public official who served as Secretary of the British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-govern ...
's historical play ''
The Moonraker ''The Moonraker'' is a British swashbuckler film made in 1957 and released in 1958 and set in the English Civil War. It was directed by David MacDonald and starred George Baker, Sylvia Syms, Marius Goring, Gary Raymond, Peter Arne, John Le M ...
'' in 1952 and in 1953 was in a play ''Uncertain Joy''. That year she appeared on a TV play with Michael Craig who said she "was on the wane after a successful career as a film star. She didn't like slumming it in television at all and was very grand and one scary lady." In 1954, Kent fell ill while touring in a stage production of '' The Deep Blue Sea'' in South Africa.


Later career

Kent's film appearances grew less frequent from the mid 1950s onward. She had support roles in ''
The Prince and the Showgirl ''The Prince and the Showgirl'' (originally titled '' The Sleeping Prince'') is a 1957 British romantic comedy film starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, who also served as director and producer. The screenplay written by Terence Rattig ...
'' (1957) and '' Bonjour Tristesse'' (1958) and a good part in the horror film ''
The Haunted Strangler ''The Haunted Strangler'' (also known as ''Grip of the Strangler'' and originally titled ''The Judas Hole'') is a 1958 British horror film directed by Robert Day. It was adapted from "Stranglehold", a story which screenwriter Jan Read had writte ...
'' (1959). She was in the comedy ''
Please Turn Over ''Please Turn Over'' is a 1959 British comedy film written by Norman Hudis, produced by Peter Rogers and directed by Gerald Thomas. It featured Ted Ray, Julia Lockwood, Jean Kent, Joan Sims, Leslie Phillips, Charles Hawtrey, Lionel Jeffries ...
'' (1959) and the thriller '' Beyond This Place'' (1959). She was one of several female stars in '' Bluebeard's Ten Honeymoons'' (1960) with George Sanders. She played Queen Elizabeth I in the historical TV adventure series ''
Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ( ...
'' filmed in 1961–62. In 1982, she played Jennifer Lamont in the soap opera ''
Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
''.


Personal life

Kent was married to Austrian actor Josef Ramart from 1946 until his death in 1989, aged 70. They met on the set of '' Caravan'', in which he also appeared. Actor
Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...
, a co-star from this film, was the best man at their wedding. Kent and Ramart also both had roles in the film ''
Trottie True ''Trottie True'' is a 1949 British musical comedy film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Jean Kent, James Donald and Hugh Sinclair. It was known as ''The Gay Lady'' in the US, and is an infrequent British Technicolor film of the per ...
''. She was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1974 when she was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...
at the Strand Theatre. Kent made her last public appearance in June 2011, when she was honoured by the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
on her 90th birthday. She was a guest at a screening of ''Caravan'' at the
BFI Southbank BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...
.


Death

Kent died in the West Suffolk Hospital,
Bury St. Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A ...
on 30 November 2013, following a fall at her home in Westhorpe. The coroner recorded a narrative verdict that Kent died from accidental injuries and that cardiac disease may have contributed to a fall.


Filmography


Film


Television


Box office ranking

For a number of years, British film exhibitors voted her among the top ten British stars at the box office via an annual poll in the ''Motion Picture Herald''. *1950 – 9th *1951 – 8th


References


External links


BBC: Jean Kent at 90
*


Photographs of Jean Kent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Jean 1921 births 2013 deaths English television actresses English film actresses People from Brixton Actresses from London Accidental deaths from falls People from Westhorpe, Suffolk 20th-century English actresses