Biography
Born Stephanie Kent on 16 December 1949 in Hayling Island, Hampshire, England, and passing away on 4 November 2000 in London, the performer grew up surrounded by theatrical influences. Her mother, dancer Gladys Kent, had established the children’s dance troupe known as the Kent Babes, while her father, George Kent, worked as a band leader and pianist. Public performances began at the age of two, and classical training followed at the Arts Educational School in Hertfordshire as she pursued ballet ambitions. By twelve she had joined the corps de ballet of the Royal Festival Ballet, yet a bout of pneumonia at fifteen interrupted her progress for a full year.
Resilience led her back to the stage, culminating in a 1971 West End debut as a tap-dancing roller skater in Forget-Me-Not Lane, after which she recorded material from that production alongside Johnny Mathis. Membership in the dance ensemble Pan’s People, regularly featured on Top Of The Pops, further broadened her visibility. The pivotal opportunity arrived in 1982 when she assumed the title role in the Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice musical Evita, succeeding Elaine Paige and completing more than 1,800 performances in London. The next year brought the leading part of Marilyn Monroe in the Elliott Kastner–Jacques Wilson–Mort Garson production Marilyn! The Musical; although reviews were strong, the show itself fell short of expectations.
Additional West End and Broadway credits encompassed Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers as well as Lloyd-Webber’s Starlight Express and Cats. A stage portrayal of Marlene Dietrich also stood among her notable characterizations. Screen work included appearances in Buster (1988) and The Phantom Of The Opera (1989), while television featured her as Mary Magdalene in Doubting Thomas. After an exhausting four-year engagement in the American revival of Blood Brothers, she returned to England depleted. Depression and alcoholism compounded her difficulties. In autumn 2000 she wed her longtime companion Laurie Sautereau, yet two months afterward she died.
Resilience led her back to the stage, culminating in a 1971 West End debut as a tap-dancing roller skater in Forget-Me-Not Lane, after which she recorded material from that production alongside Johnny Mathis. Membership in the dance ensemble Pan’s People, regularly featured on Top Of The Pops, further broadened her visibility. The pivotal opportunity arrived in 1982 when she assumed the title role in the Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice musical Evita, succeeding Elaine Paige and completing more than 1,800 performances in London. The next year brought the leading part of Marilyn Monroe in the Elliott Kastner–Jacques Wilson–Mort Garson production Marilyn! The Musical; although reviews were strong, the show itself fell short of expectations.
Additional West End and Broadway credits encompassed Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers as well as Lloyd-Webber’s Starlight Express and Cats. A stage portrayal of Marlene Dietrich also stood among her notable characterizations. Screen work included appearances in Buster (1988) and The Phantom Of The Opera (1989), while television featured her as Mary Magdalene in Doubting Thomas. After an exhausting four-year engagement in the American revival of Blood Brothers, she returned to England depleted. Depression and alcoholism compounded her difficulties. In autumn 2000 she wed her longtime companion Laurie Sautereau, yet two months afterward she died.
Albums
