Veteran Australian musician and film director Kimble Rendall has sadly passed away at the age of 67.
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Rendall’s death was officially announced on April 20 by publicist and close friend Melissa Hoyer in a heartfelt Facebook post.
She described Rendall as a “musician, advertising guru, film director, husband, devoted dad & a very good friend to many.”
“One of the very, very good men – Kimble was married to the ‘first lady of music television’, the late Basia Bonkowski & carved out a huge reputation in music (he was in the XL Capris & the Hoodoo Gurus); a leading figure in the advertising world (what award didn’t he win?) and went onto became a mega successful film director,” Hoyer added.
“Thank you for being in our lives Kimble. You were a compassionate, constantly creative, funny, clever [and] perennially entertaining one-off … [and] the time had come to join your beloved Basia,” she concluded.
Born in Sydney in 1957, Rendall developed a passion for filmmaking early in life. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Mass Media, he honed his craft as a film editor through training with the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
Kimble Rendall Makes His Mark on Australia’s Punk Rock Scene
In 1978, Rendall co-founded the Sydney punk band XL Capris with Tim Gooding, Johanna Pigott, and Julie Anderson. The group’s debut single, a reimagined cover of Tommy Leonetti’s “My City of Sydney,” was released the following year. Over time, it has come to be celebrated as a defining piece of Australia’s emerging punk scene, per Billboard.
Rendall left XL Capris in 1980 and went on to co-found the Hoodoo Gurus in 1981, alongside guitarist and vocalist Dave Faulkner, guitarist Roddy Radalj, and drummer James Baker. Although Rendall and Radalj departed the band in 1982, prior to the release of their 1984 debut album Stoneage Romeos, both contributed to the group’s first single, “Leilani.” Rendall also directed the music video for the track.
Kimble Rendall’s Impressive Film Career
Meanwhile, he went on to direct films like the 2000 horror movie Cut, featuring Kylie Minogue and Molly Ringwald. In 2012, he helmed the shark thriller Bait, starring Julian McMahon and Lincoln Lewis. His final project as a director was the 2018 Australian-Chinese co-production Guardians of the Tomb. The film starred Kelsey Grammer and Li Bingbing.
Kimble directed music videos not only for his former band but also for some of Australia’s most iconic rock legends, including Cold Chisel, Mental As Anything, and Diesel.
He also served as the second-unit director for several acclaimed Hollywood productions filmed in Australia. These include The Matrix Reloaded, Ghost Rider, and I, Robot.
He was married to Australian TV presenter Basia Bonkowski from 1982 until her passing in 2022 due to lymphoma. Kimble is lovingly remembered by their two children, William and Camille.