Bill Kenwright
A football chairman and theatre impresario who poured a lifelong passion for Everton and the stage into two demanding public careers.
1945–2023 (age 78)·English businessman, theatre producer and actor·Birthday: September 4·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bill Kenwright's life was a double bill of drama, played out under the bright lights of London's West End and the floodlights of Liverpool's Goodison Park. An actor first, he found his true calling as a producer, forming a company that became a powerhouse of British theatre. He had a Midas touch for crowd-pleasers, championing long-running hits like 'Blood Brothers' and bringing popular musicals like 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' to the stage. But his heart belonged equally to Everton Football Club, where he evolved from a starstruck boy in the stands to its chairman in 2004. For nearly two decades, he steered the club with a fan's passion through financial constraints and fervent expectations, his emotional connection to the team never in doubt. Kenwright embodied a rare blend of showbiz flair and streetwise football loyalty, a true believer in both the magic of a live performance and the immutable faith of a football supporter.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bill was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 70
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2023Died at 78
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
Key Achievements
- Served as Chairman of Everton Football Club for 19 years, from 2004 until his death in 2023.
- Produced the long-running musical 'Blood Brothers,' which played in London's West End for 24 years.
- As CEO of the production company Bill Kenwright Ltd., he staged numerous hit plays and musicals across the UK.
- Awarded a CBE for his services to film and theatre in 2001.
Did You Know?
He was a successful actor in the 1960s and 70s, appearing in the TV series 'Coronation Street' and 'Z-Cars.'
He bought his first Everton season ticket at the age of 11.
He turned down a role in the film 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' to focus on producing.
His production company also produced several feature films, including 'The Illustrated Mum.'
“Everian born, Everton bred, and when I die I'll be Everton dead.”
