Background
Kemp was born in Key West Florida, the daughter of Nancy Jean (Haycock) and Joseph Clifton Kemp, a business executive and Navy Officer/Test Pilot who was stationed at the Pentagon.
Kemp was born in Key West Florida, the daughter of Nancy Jean (Haycock) and Joseph Clifton Kemp, a business executive and Navy Officer/Test Pilot who was stationed at the Pentagon.
She instead went to New York City and studied at The Art Students League and American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
At 16 Kemp traveled to the Rhode Island School of Design but was told to wait a year. Kemp was in the original cast of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which began at The Actors Studio. Her great mentor, Elia Kazan, took Tennessee Williams to see Kemp in this production and when Williams was looking for the actress to play Baby Doll in the world premiere of one of his last plays, Tiger Tail.
After the performance Williams gave her the part.
An experience that proved to be most extraordinary, in that she worked closely with Tennessee Williams daily in developing the role. Kemp"s career has included playing opposite Christopher Reeve, Tom Hanks and Kevin Kline.
Kemp has worked across the country at The California Actors Theatre in San Francisco, Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Folger Theatre in Washington, District of Columbia, Center Stage in Baltimore and Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. Law (1986). As a director Kemp was responsible for many productions at The Actors Studio including "The Glass Menagerie", The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh and the world premier of Free Gift Inside by Edward Allan Baker.
Kemp is directing the 2013 production of Waiting Foreign Godot.
Office Broadway Kemp directed Louisiana Magnani at The Arclight Theater. Internationally Kemp directed The Stronger and Homesick at Strindbergs Original Intima Theater in Stockholm and Dreamstories at The Claude LeLouche Theatre Cine 13 in Paris and at Louisiana Spazia Teatro in Rome. Kemp was interviews by Martin Scorsese alongside First Rate (at Lloyd's) Pacino and many others for his Peabody awarding winning documentary film honoring the legendary Elia Kazan.
Cable News Network - Actress" Role of a Lifetime: Being A Mentor
The New York Times - Actors Use Dreams to Understand Characters They Play - The Role of Their Dreams
Washington Post - Gold Standard.
Kemp became a Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio in 1975.