Kendrew Lascelles was born in the charming town of Gatley, Chester, and his life took a dramatic turn when his father relocated the family to South Africa at the tender age of three. This move would have a profound impact on Kendrew's life, as his family would relocate numerous times, with Kendrew spending his teenage years in the vibrant city of Durban.
Kendrew's early life was marked by a mischievous streak, as he often found himself in the role of class clown. However, it was his introduction to the world of opera that would set him on a new path. In 1953, Kendrew seized the opportunity to step in as Principal Dancer for an Italian touring opera when their Principal dancer broke his ankle. This chance encounter would prove to be a turning point in his life, as he considers it his first break.
Fast forward eleven years, and Kendrew would receive another break when an actress booked into the Intimate theatre broke her ankle, prompting Leon Gluckman to ask Kendrew to write a fill-in piece to save the theatre from going dark. The result was the international hit "Wait a Minim," which would go on to tour the world for seven years, including stints at the Fortune Theatre in London and the John Golden Theatre on Broadway.
Gluckman, who produced and directed the anti-apartheid revue, brought together an entire cast to contribute to the production's development. After the Minim tour, Kendrew settled in California, where he continued to perform but mainly focused on writing. His popularity from Minim would hold him in good stead, and he would often be a guest on popular talk shows of the time.
The Smothers' Brothers were so impressed with Minim that they offered Kendrew a job as a staff writer for their Summer Season, and he would go on to stay with them for a few years before moving on to write for the Dean Martin Show and Martin's Gold Diggers. Due to his comedic timing and performance background, Kendrew was often used as the "other man" in their broadcast comedy sketches. One notable example of this was the famous sketch "The Midnight Cat Burglar," which featured Kendrew alongside Peter Sellers, Julius "Nipsy" Russell, and Dean Martin.
By this point, Kendrew had established himself as a successful playwright and poet, but he was still called upon by friends to make cameo appearances and play some of his own characters onstage. As of mid-2015, Kendrew resides just outside of Los Angeles, California, and continues to write, with a impressive tally of four musicals, six stage plays, eight screenplays, five novels, and various poems and lyrics, including some recorded by notable artists such as John Denver, Jack Lemmon, Peter Lawford, and the band Chicago.
