Kate Kendall
Kate Kendall | |
|---|---|
Kendall at a rehearsal for An Officer and a Gentleman in 2012 | |
| Born | England, United Kingdom |
| Occupations | Actress, director |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Known for | Angie Piper in Stingers Lauren Turner in Neighbours |
| Spouse | Wayne Johnston |
| Children | 1 |
Kate Kendall is a British-born Australian actress and director. She played Angie Piper in the long-running Nine Network Australian drama Stingers from 1998 to 2004. Kendall has appeared in television series The Librarians (2007), Rush (2010) and Conspiracy 365. She joined the cast of television soap opera Neighbours in 2013 as Lauren Turner. After leaving the role in 2017, Kendall became a director, and later producer, on the serial.
Early life and education
Kendall was born in England and moved to Australia with her family when she was six months old.[1] Her father, David Kendall, was prominent in the Pram Factory and La Mama Theatres in Melbourne,[2] and, after moving to Adelaide, with the State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA) in the 1980s.[3] In Adelaide, he also headed the new acting course at the Centre for Performing Arts (CPA) (now the Adelaide College of the Arts) in 1987.[4]
Kate studied at the CPA in Adelaide.[2]
Career
Stage
On the stage, Kendall played Rebecca in Solstice for STCSA in Adelaide, Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Cinderella in Into the Woods in Melbourne Botanic Gardens.[2]
In 2011 Kendall played the lead role of Diana in MTC’s production of Next to Normal and appeared in the Australian musical premiere of An Officer and a Gentleman.[5]
She has performed in other stage productions at the Adelaide Festival Centre, the Carlton Courthouse and Budinski's Theatre in Melbourne. With the Aboriginal youth company, Jumpback Theatre, she has worked with female prisoners.[2]
Screen
Kendall had bit parts in television series Home and Away and Neighbours[6] before scoring a guest role as Rosie Burgess in Blue Heelers in 1997.[7] Her breakthrough television role was as Angie Piper in Stingers, a role she played for 192 episodes from 1998 to 2004.[8]
Kendall played a minor role as Lisa in 2007 American miniseries The Starter Wife[9] and the same year, appeared in three episodes of comedy series The Librarians, as Jacinta McSweeney.[10] Kendall appeared on the Australian police drama Rush in 2010. She then played Emily Ormond in the twelve-part drama series Conspiracy 365, which was based on the book of the same name.[5]
Kendall took over the role of Lauren Turner on Neighbours in 2013.[11] As she was wrapping up the role of Lauren in 2017, she began directing small scenes. She has since directed numerous episodes of the series.[12] In June 2020, it was announced that Kendall would become a producer. She covered for series producer Natalie Lynch, while she was on maternity leave. David Knox of TV Tonight believed Kendall was the show's first actor, director, producer.[12]
Kendall directed the 2023 four-part series Heat, created by Jason Herbison.[13] On 21 July 2025, it was announced that she would be a director for a new co-commission alongside Herbison, called Imposter.[14]
Personal life
Kendall married former Carlton Football Club AFL player Wayne Johnston and as of 2014 has a son and four stepchildren.[15]
She enjoys horse-riding and is a fan of country music and cricket. She was a supporter of Greenpeace.[2]
Filmography
Television
As actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Blue Heelers | Rosie Burgess | 1 episode |
| 1998–2004 | Stingers | Angie Piper | 192 episodes |
| 1999 | Farscape | Sergeant (uncredited) | 1 episode |
| 2000 | On the Beach | Jenny Albani | TV movie |
| 2007 | The Starter Wife | Lisa | 3 episodes |
| The Librarians | Jacinta McSweeney | 3 episodes | |
| 2009 | City Homicide | Jacinta Hansard | 1 episode |
| 2010 | The Pacific | Betty Leckie | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| Rush | Nicolette | 1 episode | |
| 2012 | Conspiracy 365 | Emily Osmond | 12 episodes |
| 2013–2018; 2022 | Neighbours | Lauren Carpenter / Lauren Turner | 523 episodes |
As director / producer
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2025 | Neighbours | Mentor director | 178 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | Producer | 897 episodes | |
| 2019 | Playing for Keeps | Director | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Heat | Director | 4 episodes |
| 2025 | Imposter | Director | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
Film
As actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Dead End | Fantasy couple | ||
| 2007 | St. George | Short film | ||
| 2008 | Belladonna | Katherine | ||
| Night Train | Short film | |||
| 2010 | Matching Jack | Registrar | ||
| 2012 | 10 Terrorists | Detective June Connor |
As director
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Six Months | Director |
Theatre
As actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Into the Woods | Cinderella | Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne | [2] | |
| Miss Julie | Miss Julie | [16] | ||
| As You Like It | Rosalind | [16] | ||
| Dust | [17] | |||
| Chicago | [17] | |||
| The Vagina Monologues | [17] | |||
| 1994 | King Golgrutha / Dust / The Garden of Earthly Delights | Vision Warehouse, Adelaide | [18] | |
| 1995 | Galax-Arena | Playhouse, Adelaide | [18] | |
| 1996 | Solstice | Rebecca | The Amphitheatre, Adelaide with STCSA | [18] |
| Dark Heart | Small Price Theatre, Adelaide | [18] | ||
| 1997 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Hermia | Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne with Australian Shakespeare Company | [18][2][19] |
| The Secret Death of Salvador Dali | Budinskis Theatre of Exile, Melbourne | [18] | ||
| 2000 | Art and Soul: Untitled | Woman | Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC | [18][20] |
| 2005 | Cheech, or, The Chrysler Guys Are in Town | Stephanie | [18][21] | |
| Much Ado About Nothing | Beatrice | Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne with Australian Shakespeare Company | [16][19][22] | |
| 2007 | Homer's Iliad | Stork Hotel, Melbourne | [18] | |
| The Lover | Marguerite | [18][17] | ||
| 2008 | Kitten | Kitten | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne | [18][23] |
| 2010 | Furious Mattress | Else | [18][24] | |
| Richter/Meinhof-Opera | Ulrike Meinhof | Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne | [18][25][17] | |
| 2011 | Next to Normal | Diana | Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC | [18][16] |
| 2012 | An Officer and a Gentleman | Lynette Pomeroy | Sydney Lyric Theatre with The Gordon Frost Organisation | [18][16] |
| 2013 | Into the Woods | The Baker’s Wife | [26] | |
| Gaybies | Sumner Theatre, Melbourne with MTC for Midsumma Festival | [27][28] | ||
| 2015 | Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune | Frankie | Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne | [18][29] |
| 2018 | Homer’s Odyssey (Part 6: The Return of the King) | Reader | MPavilion, Melbourne with Stork Theatre | [30][31] |
As director
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Marcel & Albertine | Director | Alliance Francaise, Melbourne with Stork Theatre | [18] |
Awards
| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Stingers | Logie Awards | Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated | [32] |
| 2014 | Neighbours | Equity Ensemble Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Neighbours | Australian Directors' Guild Award | Best Director of TV or SVOD Drama Serial | Won | [33] |
References
- ^ "Actor Kate Kendall's passion for Port Fairy". The Standard. 16 January 2018. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Australian Television: Stingers: profiles: Kate Kendall". Australian Television Information Archive. 30 October 1998. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- ^ "State Theatre Company of South Australia : programs and related material collected by the National Library of Australia". Trove. 14 March 1973. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- ^ "History". TAFE SA website. 5 December 2007. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
- ^ a b Knox, David (20 June 2011). "Big-Budget Family Drama Conspiracy 365 Begins Filming". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ^ Falconer, Daniel (4 June 2014). "Neighbours exclusive interview - Kate Kendall talks THAT big reveal". Female First. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ "Blue Heelers – Containing the Rage". IMDb website. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
- ^ "Stingers". IMDb website. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
- ^ "The Starter Wife – full credits". IMDb website. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
- ^ "The Librarians". IMDb website. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
- ^ "New faces and big-name returns for Ramsay Street in 2013". Channel 5. Northern & Shell. 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ a b Knox, David (2 June 2020). "Kate Kendall steps up as Neighbours producer". TV Tonight. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (7 November 2022). "10 Heats up new drama co-production". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ Laidlaw, Kyle (22 July 2025). "Neighbours' Jackie Woodburne joins new drama mini-series IMPOSTER". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Neighbours star Kate Kendall tells of her baby bombshell". news.com.au. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Kate Kendall's acting depth and breadth nurtured by her father David in Adelaide; best known for TV roles". www.adelaideaz.com. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "An Officer and a Gentleman: Meet the Cast". www.paramountgraphics.com.au. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Kate Kendall". AusStage. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ a b Harford, Sonia (6 January 2014). "Finding love with Shakespeare in the park". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Art and Soul". Theatregold. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Cheech". Theatregold. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Kendall rocks, making much ado about musical". The Age. 14 February 2005. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Kitten". www.blacksequin.com. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Furious Mattress". Malthouse Theatre. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Richter/Meinhof-Opera – Sonia Leber & David Chesworth". www.leberandchesworth.com. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ Liccione, Anna Maria (3 May 2013). "Into the Woods fills seats and enchants the people in them". www.basementmedicine.org. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ Denette, Kelsey (30 January 2013). "Trevor Ashley's I'm Every Woman Arrives at The Famous Spiegeltent, 19-23 February". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ Parris, Simon (18 January 2013). "Gaybies Review". www.simonparrismaninchair.com. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ Drouyn, Coral (2015). "Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune". www.stagewhispers.com.au. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ Wild, Stephi (31 October 2018). "Sigrid Thornton, Magda Szubanski, Kate Kendall, Jack Charles and more to feature in a Free Reading of Homer's THE ODYSSEY". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "The Odyssey". www.artsreview.com.au. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "Logie Awards 2004". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ "BREAKING NEWS". Neighbours on Facebook. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
External links
- Kate Kendall at IMDb