Kendall was born Mary Ann Florence Holyome on 27 July 1873 in Bethnal Green, London.

[3] She enjoyed significant success in 1893 when she turned to female roles and sang "I'm One of the Girls" over 16 weeks in Camden Town.

[2][3] After that, Kendall performed at major venues in London, securing parts in pantomimes as well as singing Cockney songs in the best music halls.

[1] On 25 September 2011 a commemorative blue plaque was erected to Marie Kendall by the theatre charity The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America at her former residence in Clapham.

Kendall happened to be performing in Dublin on 16 June 1904, the fictional date of James Joyce's novel Ulysses, and a supposed poster depicting her as a "charming soubrette" becomes a minor motif in the book.