David Kernan
Born
David Stanley Kernan

(1938-06-23)23 June 1938
London, England
Died26 December 2023(2023-12-26) (aged 85)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active1959–1995

David Stanley Kernan (23 June 1938 – 26 December 2023) was an English actor, best known as an interpreter of the songs of Stephen Sondheim.

Kernan appeared in stage musicals and was a soloist in various British variety shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s including That Was the Week That Was (1962–1963).

Career

Theatre

In 1970 he appeared in the original London production of the musical 1776. He played the role of Count Malcolm in the original London production of Sondheim's A Little Night Music. In 1977 he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his appearance in the original Broadway cast of Side by Side by Sondheim.[1][2] He also made two appearances on BBC TV's long running Edwardian Old Time Music Hall variety show, The Good Old Days, in the 1970s and 80s.

In 1986 he conceived and directed the Broadway production of Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood, a musical revue. He also collaborated with Dick Vosburgh and Robin Ray on a production of Noel/Cole Let's do it, celebrating the work of Noël Coward and Cole Porter. Originally a one-off production at the Barbican in aid of the Terence Higgins Trust, it later opened the 1994 season of the Performing Arts Foundation of Memphis Tennessee and ran for a season at Chichester Festival Theatre before touring.[3]

Television

In the 1970s, Kernan appeared in the television period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. He played the role of Captain Charles Hammond, the young lover of Lady Marjorie Bellamy, in the episode "Magic Casements".

Kernan also had small roles in two episodes of The Avengers, as an amateur radio enthusiast and chess player in "Never, Never Say Die" and a shoe salesman in "Quick Quick, Slow Death".

Kernan co-starred as Mr Kodaly opposite Robin Ellis in the 1980s television version of the popular Christmas musical She Loves Me.

Films

Kernan also had small roles in several films, including Gaolbreak (1962), Mix Me a Person (1962), Farewell Performance (1963), Zulu (1964), Otley (1968), Up the Chastity Belt (1971) and Carry On Abroad (1972).[4]

Death

Kernan died on 26 December 2023, at the age of 85.[5][6][7][8]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1962GaolbreakLen Rogerson
1962Mix Me a PersonSocko
1963Farewell PerformanceRay Baron
1964ZuluPrivate Frederick Hitch
1968OtleyGround steward
1969Der Porno-Graf von SchwedenFreddie Horne
1971Up the Chastity BeltTroubadour
1972Carry On AbroadNicholas
1973The Day of the JackalPer LundquistUncredited
1974The Education of Sonny CarsonJudge

References

  1. ↑ "qsulis.demon.co.uk". Qsulis.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. ↑ Denny Martin Flinn, Little Musicals for Little Theatres (Limelight Editions, 2006), p. 271. Accessed 14 Nov 2014
  3. ↑ "Cole Porter / Let's Do It". Sondheimguide.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. ↑ "David Kernan filmography". Fandango.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "It is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that dear David has passed away peacefully. In this time of such sadness, we shall think of the wonderful man he was, and the truly fantastic career that he had on stage, and on screen. ❤️. God Bless". David Kernan on X. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "David Kernan". Aveleyman. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "David Kernan (1938–2023)". The Stephen Sondheim Society. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Frost, Caroline (31 December 2023). "David Kernan Dies: 'Carry On' Star And Sondheim Stalwart Was 85". Deadline.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
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