Kathleen "Kay" Walsh (15 November 1911 – 16 April 2005) was an English actress, dancer, and screenwriter. Her film career prospered after she met her future husband film director David Lean, with whom she worked on prestige productions such as '' In Which We Serve'' and '' Oliver Twist''.

Early life and career

Walsh was born on 15 November 1911 in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. She was raised in Pimlico by her grandmother. She began her career as a dancer in West End music halls, and at the age of 17 she began going out with Pownoll Pellew (later 9th

Viscount Exmouth Viscount Exmouth, of Canonteign in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. History The title was created in 1816 for the prominent naval officer Edward Pellew, 1st Baron Exmouth. He had already been created a baro ...

), and they shared an interest in sports cars.Dave Cox, ''Ave Atque Vale'', p 15 She made her film debut in ''How's Chances?'' (1934) in a small part, and had a larger role in ''Get Your Man'', another 1934 film. She continued to act in "

quota quickies Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a trade restriction on the quantity of goods imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * Indi ...

" films for several years. Walsh first met David Lean, then a film editor, in 1936, during the filming of '' Secret of Stamboul''. They began a relationship, and Walsh broke her engagement to Pellew. Walsh and Lean married on 23 November 1940. She moved on to prestige films with appearances in '' In Which We Serve'' (1942) and ''

This Happy Breed ''This Happy Breed'' is a play by Noël Coward. It was written in 1939 but, because of the outbreak of World War II, it was not staged until 1942, when it was performed on alternating nights with another Coward play, '' Present Laughter''. The ...

'' (1944), both directed by Lean and written by Noël Coward. Walsh campaigned for Lean to receive co-director credit on ''In Which We Serve''. Walsh contributed dialogue to the 1938 film of '' Pygmalion'', and devised the scenario for the closing sequence of Lean's film adaptation of '' Great Expectations'' (1946), for which she received a writing credit on the latter film. She devised the opening sequence of Lean's adaptation of '' Oliver Twist'' (1948) and played Nancy. Walsh and Lean divorced in 1949 on grounds of infidelity based on Lean's relationship with actress Ann Todd. Walsh continued to work as a character actress in films through the 1950s, including films with Alfred Hitchcock and

Ronald Neame Ronald Neame CBE, BSC (23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010) was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, for his work on the British war film '' One of Our Aircraft Is Miss ...

. Her own favourite film role was that of the barmaid Miss D. Coker in Neame's 1958 film of ''

The Horse's Mouth ''The Horse's Mouth'' is a 1944 novel by Anglo-Irish writer Joyce Cary, the third in his ''First Trilogy'', whose first two books are ''Herself Surprised'' (1941) and ''To Be A Pilgrim'' (1942). ''The Horse's Mouth'' follows the adventures of ...

'', with Alec Guinness. Between films, she appeared regularly in plays and farces at the

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

and

Aldwych Aldwych (pronounced ) is a street and the name of the area immediately surrounding it in central London, England, within the City of Westminster. The street starts east-northeast of Charing Cross, the conventional map centre-point of the city ...

theatres, directed by

Basil Dean Basil Herbert Dean CBE (27 September 1888 – 22 April 1978) was an English actor, writer, producer and director in the theatre and in cinema. He founded the Liverpool Repertory Company in 1911 and in the First World War, after organising unof ...

. She starred with

Peter Coke Peter John Coke ( "cook"; 3 April 1913 – 30 July 2008) was an English actor, playwright and artist. Early life Peter John Coke was born in Southsea, Hampshire on 3 April 1913.

in the 1938 thriller '' Death on the Table'' and

Ralph Lynn Ralph Clifford Lynn (8 March 1882 – 8 August 1962) was an English actor who had a 60-year career, and is best remembered for playing comedy parts in the Aldwych farces first on stage and then in film. Lynn became an actor at the age of 18 ...

at Aldwych in the 1940 comedy ''

Nap Hand A nap is a short period of sleep, typically taken during daytime hours as an adjunct to the usual nocturnal sleep period. Naps are most often taken as a response to Somnolence, drowsiness during waking hours. A nap is a form of Biphasic and po ...

''. She was a semi-regular on the 1979 Anglo-Polish TV series ''Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson'', and remained active in films until her retirement in 1981. Her last role was in ''

Night Crossing ''Night Crossing'' is a 1982 British-American drama film starring John Hurt, Jane Alexander and Beau Bridges. The film is based on the true story of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families, who on September 16, 1979, attempted to escape from East Germa ...

''.

Second marriage, later life, and death

Her second marriage was to the Canadian psychoanalyst

Elliott Jaques Elliott Jaques (January 18, 1917 – March 8, 2003) was a Canadian psychoanalyst, social scientist and management consultant known as the originator of concepts such as corporate culture, midlife crisis, fair pay, maturation curves, time ...

, and they adopted daughter Gemma in 1956. This marriage also ended in divorce. She lived in retirement in London. She died on 16 April 2005 at the

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is a 430-bed teaching hospital located in Chelsea, London. Although the hospital has been at its present site since only 1993, the hospital has a rich history in that it serves as the new site for the Westminst ...

, aged 93, from multiple burns, following an accident.

Filmography

Notes

References

* *

Kevin Brownlow Kevin Brownlow (born Robert Kevin Brownlow; 2 June 1938) is a British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor. He is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era, having become inter ...

, ''David Lean'',

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel ...

, 1997. * Silverman, Stephen M., ''David Lean'', Harry N. Abrams, 1989.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Kay 1911 births 2005 deaths 20th-century English actresses Actresses from London English film actresses English people of Irish descent English stage actresses English television actresses People from Chelsea, London