London-born actor and singer, notable for his roles as Private Hitch in Zulu (1964),Dr. Livesey in the musical version of Treasure Island (1982),and the charming Steven Kodaly in BBC's adaptation of She Loves Me (1979),which is based on the play 'Parfumerie' by Miklós László. He also had notable guest roles in two episodes of The Avengers (1961) and in the comedies Up Pompeii! (1969) and Carry on Abroad (1972).
Kernan's acting career began at the age of 19 with the Huddersfield Repertory Company. In 1957, he made his stage debut in the chorus line of 'Where's Charley' at London's Palace Theatre, marking the start of a significant career as a singer in stage musicals. He was renowned for his expertise in interpreting songs by Stephen Sondheim and received acclaim for his performance in the original 1977 Broadway cast of Sondheim's musical revue 'Side by Side', opposite Millicent Martin. A year earlier, he had headlined as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in 'A Little Night Music' at the Adelphi Theatre in London.
From 1980 to 1981, Kernan appeared in 'Kiss Me Kate' at the Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal. He also devised and directed the musical revue 'Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood', which premiered on Broadway in January 1986. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was a frequent guest soloist in various British variety shows, performing songs by Sondheim, Cole Porter, Noël Coward, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, and Frank Loesser.
In 2019, Kernan published his autobiography, titled 'From Eastham to Broadway', which chronicles his life and career.
