David Stanley Kernan (23 June 1938 – 26 December 2023) was an English actor, best known as an interpreter of the songs of Stephen Sondheim. Kernan appeared in stage musicals and was a soloist in various British variety shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s including That Was the Week That Was (1962–1963).
David Kernan | |
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| Born | David Stanley Kernan 23 June 1938 London, England |
| Died | 26 December 2023 (aged 85) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1959–1995 |
Early life
editDavid Stanley Kernan was born 23 June 1938 in East Ham, London, to Joseph and Lily (née Russell) Kernan.[1] His father abandoned the family shortly after his birth. At the age of four, Kernan was sent to live with his grandmother in Oxford.[1]
He began singing as a child with the choir at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, and became head chorister. He attended Portchester School in Bournemouth, an 11–16 boys secondary school, but left at the age of 15.[1] At the behest of his mother, he began training as a chef.[2]
A short time later, Kernan began acting with the Bournemouth Shakespeare Players.[2] Kernan's career in the theatre began in 1957 as an assistant stage manager at the Theatre Royal in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.[1] Encouraged to continue acting, he moved to London and became a shop assistant.[1]
Career
editTheatre
editKernan made his West End debut as a member of the chorus in the musical Where’s Charley? at the Palace Theatre.[1] The musical opened on 20 February 1958 and ran for 404 performances. Kernan used the income to pay for acting, dancing, and singing lessons.[1]
After a stint on television, he appeared as the Hon. Ernest Woolley in Our Man Crichton in its West End debut at the Shaftesbury Theatre.[1] The play premiered on December 22, 1964, and ran for 208 performances.
In 1970 he appeared in the original London production of the musical 1776. He played the role of Count Malcolm in the original London production of Sondheim's A Little Night Music. In 1977 he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his appearance in the original Broadway cast of Side by Side by Sondheim.[3][4] He also made two appearances on BBC TV's long running Edwardian Old Time Music Hall variety show, The Good Old Days, in the 1970s and 80s.
Television
editKernan made his television debut singing with Millicent Martin on the BBC current affairs series Tonight. Producer Ned Sherrin so liked the pair that he hired them to appear on That Was the Week That Was in 1962.[1]
In the 1970s, Kernan appeared in the television period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. He played the role of Captain Charles Hammond, the young lover of Lady Marjorie Bellamy, in the episode "Magic Casements".
Kernan also had small roles in two episodes of The Avengers, as an amateur radio enthusiast and chess player in "Never, Never Say Die" and, in a scene-stealing turn, as a foot fetishist shoe designer who, in the shuddering throes of repressed ecstasy, moulds Mrs. Peel’s left foot in plaster of Paris, in "Quick Quick, Slow Death".
Kernan co-starred as Mr Kodaly opposite Robin Ellis in the 1980s television version of the popular Christmas musical She Loves Me.
Kernan also had small roles in several films, including Gaolbreak (1962), Mix Me a Person (1962), Farewell Performance (1963), Zulu (1964), Otley (1968), Up the Chastity Belt (1971) and Carry On Abroad (1972).[5]
Personal life and death
editKernan entered into a civil partnership with Stuart Forsyth in 2008. The pair married in 2014.[1]
He published an autobiography, From East Ham to Broadway, in 2019.[2]
Kernan suffered from Alzheimer's disease,[1] and died on 26 December 2023 at the age of 85.[6][7][8] He was survived by his husband, Stuart Forsyth.[9]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Gaolbreak | Len Rogerson | |
| 1962 | Mix Me a Person | Socko | |
| 1963 | Farewell Performance | Ray Baron | |
| 1964 | Zulu | Private Frederick Hitch | |
| 1968 | Otley | Ground steward | |
| 1969 | Der Porno-Graf von Schweden | Freddie Horne | |
| 1971 | Up the Chastity Belt | Troubadour | |
| 1972 | Carry On Abroad | Nicholas | |
| 1973 | The Day of the Jackal | Per Lundquist | Uncredited |
| 1974 | The Education of Sonny Carson | Judge |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hayward, Anthony (16 January 2024). "David Kernan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2024.>
- ^ a b c Smurthwaite, Nick (9 January 2024). "David Kernan: Obituaries". The Stage. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "qsulis.demon.co.uk". Qsulis.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ Denny Martin Flinn, Little Musicals for Little Theatres (Limelight Editions, 2006), p. 271. Accessed 14 Nov 2014
- ^ "David Kernan filmography". Fandango.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "It is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that dear David has passed away peacefully. In this time of such sadness, we shall think of the wonderful man he was, and the truly fantastic career that he had on stage, and on screen. ❤️. God Bless". David Kernan on X. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "David Kernan (1938–2023)". The Stephen Sondheim Society. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ Frost, Caroline (31 December 2023). "David Kernan Dies: 'Carry On' Star And Sondheim Stalwart Was 85". Deadline.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ Hayward, Anthony (16 January 2024). "David Kernan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "David Kernan | Actor, Writer, Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
External links
edit- David Kernan at IMDb
- David Kernan BFI
- David Kernan discography at Discogs
- Guardian obituary