Welcome To The Official Tribute To Ian Hendry
“I think he was the first student I had ever seen
whom I believed had been born an actor.
He was wonderful at light comedy, and we all
looked up to him and admired him enormously”.
– Dame Judi Dench
From Send In The Clowns – The Yo Yo Life of Ian Hendry
by Gabriel Hershman
Ian Hendry
[13th January 1931 – 24th December 1984]
A Biography For Ian Hendry
Send In The Clowns - The Yo Yo Life of Ian Hendry by Gabriel Hershman
It was in 2011 that I began carrying out some research into my late uncle, Ian Hendry. My childhood memories were still very vivid, but I wanted a better understanding of the man and his life.
Just a short while later - and by pure coincidence - I was contacted by the author, Gabriel Hershman. As a huge fan of Ian's work, Gabriel was curious to find out more about him too, with the aim of writing what would be the first biography about his life. We joined forces on a journey of discovery which ultimately led to the publication of the book, 'Send In The Clowns - The Yo Yo Life of Ian Hendry' and the creation of this website.
Whilst helping Gabriel with his research, I found copious amounts of rare memorabilia being advertised online in the US, Canada, South America, Australia, all across Europe and, of course, in the UK. Before long, original film posters, lobby cards, press booklets, magazines and stills began arriving and soon I became inundated with cardboard tubes and envelopes, full of musty smelling card, printed paper and black and white photographs.
...and a website too
The next step was the creation of the website, which would become an online hub; somewhere to bring together the various disparate elements of Ian's somewhat turbulent life and career. Out of curiosity, I searched to see if a particular domain name might be available. There seemed little point in my collecting all these things, if I couldn't then share them with others. And to my surprise ianhendry.com was there on the registrar, waiting for me to take ownership.
Over the years, I've been very fortunate to have been in contact with some of Ian's old school-friends, agents, fellow actors, producers and crew who worked behind the scenes at some of Britain's most iconic TV and film studios. They have shared their memories of Ian as well as giving a glimpse into a bygone golden age of entertainment. And those memories have in turn been shared on this website.
To all who have contributed to date and to those who will in the future - a big thank you.
And finally, a special message to all those who read and follow this website and the fans of Ian Hendry - or his 'public' as he liked to call them. Thanks for your continued interest, support and for helping to keep his memory alive.
Neil Hendry
Editor, Official Tribute To Ian Hendry