Grace Kendall

Grace Kendall is an American actress and screenwriter. Grace stars as Elizabeth Taylor in Dame (2020) about the untold story of Elizabeth Taylor. In a remarkable debut, Grace made history as the first actor from a short film to be nominated for the Indie Vision: Breakthrough Performance Award alongside three-time Academy Award® winner Frances McDormand. Grace was also awarded the Best Actress at the Chelsea Film Festival for Dame's worldwide premiere. Grace stars alongside Justin Deeley as Paul Newman. Grace's performance has been praised by critics as the first notable Elizabeth Taylor portrayal saying... "In her powerful and restrained breakout performance in DAME, Grace Kendall as Elizabeth Taylor shows us that when we fall in life (whether from personal loss or professional uncertainty), we can pick ourselves up, summon our inner resolve and 'rise' again. Her performance reminds us of the triumph of faith in oneself over doubt and despair." -Emmy Award Winning journalist, Charles Gomez Grace created the concept of DAME and wrote, developed, and Executive Produced the project. She thought of the idea five years before the film was shot, but came up against challenges because there had not previously been a successful portrayal of Elizabeth Taylor. Grace stayed with her vision of the project and was determined to tell Elizabeth Taylor's story in a way that we have never seen before, from Elizabeth's own perspective. Grace completed the script and hired world-renowned movement coaches and acting coaches and worked with them for 9 months to embody Elizabeth. She then attracted producers and talent, eventually hiring all female department heads for her creative team. DAME tells the story of Elizabeth Taylor returning to work after the tragic death of her husband, Mike Todd and shows Elizabeth as an artist, a lover, a mother, and a woman ahead of her time against the studio system of the 1950s. DAME is Grace's first film as writer, Executive Producer, and as a lead actress and in 2021 DAME qualified for consideration in the 93rd Academy Awards.