Kay Walsh

Kay Walsh was a gorgeous screen siren in the 1930s and '40s who went on to make her mark as a revered actress in the '50s and beyond in such films as "Oliver Twist" and "The Horse's Mouth." Beginning her career as a dancer working alongside Andre Charlot, she eventually hung up her shoes to try acting, and made her first splash with a supporting role in George King's 1934 comedy, "Get Your Man." Two years later she met famed director David Lean, who was working as a film editor at the time; the two married in 1940 as their careers were just warming up. Soon Walsh was discovered while performing on a West End stage, by producer-director Basil Dean, and signed with Ealing Studios. In the '40s she played leads in the mystery thriller "The Missing People" opposite Will Fyffe, and in '48 collaborated with Lean, portraying Nancy in his screen version of the Charles Dickens classic "Oliver Twist"; the two divorced the following year. As Walsh aged she worked in more supporting and character roles, notably with Alfred Hitchcock on his thriller "Stage Fright," and with Ronald Neame in the Scottish military drama "Tunes of Glory." In 1958 she was in the Alec Guinness vehicle "The Horse's Mouth," citing it as her favorite role. Meanwhile, she appeared on the London stage and began to work in television. Walsh carried on with screen appearances until 1982, when she retired in London.