Kendall worked regularly until her appearance in the comedy film Genevieve (1953) brought her widespread recognition.

[4] She began a romantic relationship with actor Rex Harrison after they appeared together in the comedy film The Constant Husband (1955) and they were married in 1957.

[5] Kendall was born[6] at Stanley House, Hull Road, in Withernsea, a coastal resort in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

[10] Her first major screen role was in the 1946 musical London Town, one of the more expensive flops in British film history.

[12][5] She was under contract to the Rank Organisation but unhappy with the parts offered, turning down Value for Money (1955), As Long as They're Happy (1955) and Doctor at Sea (1955).

[13] She appeared in the drama Simon and Laura (1955) with Peter Finch; the comedy Abdulla the Great (1955) with Sydney Chaplin and Gregory Ratoff; and the epic historical film The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955), with Robert Taylor and Robert Morley.

[14] In October and November 1957, she appeared in two episodes of the short-lived American television series The Polly Bergen Show.

[16] In 1958, Kendall won a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Lady Sybil Wren in Les Girls, the story of three showgirls in postwar Paris (with Mitzi Gaynor and Taina Elg).

She was a true comedienne, unafraid to compromise her ladylike appearance with pratfalls, pop eyes and comic drunk scenes.

In September 2013 her final resting place was restored by the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.

[27] On 6 September 2014, a blue plaque commemorating Kay Kendall was erected by the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America and unveiled at her former home in Withernsea to mark the 55th anniversary of her death.