Nancy Jean Kandal

November 14, 1943 – March 4, 2020

Nancy Jean Kandal (née Fried), a long-time resident of Pacific Palisades, departed this mortal coil on March 4 after a brief illness brought on by a stroke in November 2019. Her husband of 31 years, Rudy Hornish, was at her side, as were her sisters, Sharon Hagege and Marsha Kaplan, and her dear friends, Eda Hallinan, Susie De Rusha and Karen Bellone.

Nancy grew up in the Hollywood Hills and graduated from Hollywood High. She and a few friends headed up to the Bay Area soon after graduation. It was there that Nancy began her professional training to become an actress. She met and married Terry Kandal, moved to Berkeley and in February 1970, her son Josh was born.

She relocated to Los Angeles a few years later to continue her pursuit of an acting career. Encouraged by her acting teacher, Peggy Feury, Nancy became a member of Synthaxis Theater Company, studied with The Groundlings and appeared in many productions in the Hollywood theater scene.

Nancy also worked for Breakdown, a casting service, and was soon asked to relocate to New York City to open and run the NYC Breakdown operation for the East Coast. She did that for several years (including opening up yet another Breakdown office in Toronto, Canada).

In 1988, Nancy was introduced to Rudy by mutual LA theater friends. Turns out, Rudy and Nancy lived around the corner from each other in Manhattan for several years, but both claim they were unaware of each other until that fateful introduction. That very summer they acted together in the Catskill Actors Theater production of “Inherit The Wind,” fell madly in love and married in June of 1989.

They moved to Los Angeles a year later, Nancy in pursuit of an acting career and Rudy in TV development and production at Paramount Pictures.

In addition to commercials and occasional guest roles in TV and film, Nancy was also a founding member of the Write Act Theater Company in Hollywood. Nancy and Rudy also lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where they became involved in that city’s theater scene. They returned permanently to Palisades in 2010. Nancy continued to work in theater and television until recently.

In the last several years, Nancy and Rudy found great joy in their travels around the world. From the beaches of New Zealand to the savannahs of Tanzania, from the treasures of Europe to the pleasures of the Caribbean, they shared their adventures and their passion for life.

Nancy had a 1,000-watt smile and a personality to match. Kind and caring, generous and loving, she will be missed but not forgotten.

Plans for a memorial have been put on hold during the current pandemic.