‘An amazing gentleman’: Remembering Bill Kenwright’s many acts of kindness

Theatre producer donated money to families in need as well as providing actors with necessary breaks

In the days following his death from liver cancer, theatre heavyweight Bill Kenwright has been remembered by many for the kindness and generosity he showed to others throughout his life.

The Everton chairman and West End and Broadway producer died aged 78 on Monday 23 October, following a diagnosis with the disease in August.

In a statement released on Tuesday (24 October), his partner, the actor Jenny Seagrove, his daughter Lucy Kenwright and the team at his organisation announced that he passed “surrounded by his family and loved ones”.

“Bill was driven by his passions and devoted his life to them; his deep love of theatre, film, music and his beloved Everton, and the families they created,” their message continued.

As someone who spent so much of his working and personal life between entertainment and sports, Kenwright has been memorialised with tributes from many from those spheres, including Sir Ian McKellen and Wayne Rooney.

“Like many grateful actors, I am in debt to Bill Kenwright for employment,” McKellen wrote on X/Twitter.

However, there are others whose link to Kenwright rests mainly on the goodwill and generosity they received from him.

Bill Kenwright (Bill Kenwright Ltd / supplied)

In May, the student and activist Laura Nuttall died from glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Before her death, Kenwright privately donated £50,000 to her fundraising cause for treatment.

Speaking about Kenwright on BBC News, Laura’s mother Nicola Nuttall remembered him as “an incredibly kind and thoughtful man” and noted his crucial donation to Laura’s care.

“Basically, he said ‘How much money do you need?’” Nicola explained. “We had a target that we were £50,000 short for, and he said ‘I will get that in your bank account tomorrow morning’, and he did, which is just incredible.

“It wasn’t for publicity, it wasn’t for attention, he had absolutely no need to do that, it was just a kindness.”

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright (Anthony Delvin/PA) (PA Archive)

Gemma Lowery, the creator of the Bradley Lowery Foundation, shared a similar story about Kenwright making a significant contribution to her son Bradley’s cause. He died of stage four high-risk neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer, in 2017, aged six.

“Bill was a huge part of Bradley’s fundraising journey. He donated £200,000 to Brad’s campaign to access treatment abroad,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

“That money then went into my baby’s amazing charity, on Uncle Bill’s say-so.”

As well as financial help, Kenwright also paid for the family to take a private trip to avoid media attention after Bradley’s death.

Gemma continued: “He was an amazing gentleman, who went above and beyond to help me and my family after Bradley went with the angels, Bill made sure we had time to grieve away from media, and whisked my whole family away so we could spend time together without intrusion.”

She added that she’d “never forget what he did” to help their family.

When Kenwright spoke to The Independent in 2021, he recalled how he alleviated Kelly Preston of her concerns that she wouldn’t be able to star in the film he was producing, Off the Rails, due to her breast cancer diagnosis.

Her illness meant that meant the film would likely not receive a “completion bond”, or the standard guarantee that it would be finished – a significant blow for a film’s production. Despite this, Kenwright was willing to put it aside and take the risk.

“I said, ‘Okay, we’ll do it without one.’ I just wanted her to make the film,” he explained. “And I suppose a conversation like that bonds you. Nobody else knew, she didn’t tell anyone else. [On set], you would never have known.”

Off the Rails ended up being Preston’s final film appearance; she died in July 2020, and the movie was dedicated to her memory.