Kay Walsh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kay Walsh
Walsh in Lease of Life (1954)
Born	Kathleen Walsh (1911-11-15)15 November 1911 Chelsea, London, England
Died	16 April 2005(2005-04-16) (aged 93) Chelsea, London, England
Occupation	Actress, dancer, writer
Years active	1934–1981
Spouse(s)	David Lean ​ ​ (m. 1940; div. 1949)​ Elliott Jaques ​ ​ (m. 1953, divorced)​

Kathleen "Kay" Walsh (born November 15, 1911 – died April 16, 2005) was a talented English actress, dancer, and writer for films. She became well-known in the film world after meeting her future husband, film director David Lean. Together, they worked on famous movies like In Which We Serve and Oliver Twist.

Kay Walsh's Early Life and Career

Kay Walsh was born in Chelsea, London, on November 15, 1911. She grew up in Pimlico and was raised by her grandmother. Kay started her career as a dancer in West End music halls. When she was 17, she began dating Pownoll Pellew, who later became the 9th Viscount Exmouth. They both loved sports cars.

Starting in Films

Kay's first film role was a small part in How's Chances? (1934). She had a bigger role in another 1934 film called Get Your Man. For several years, she acted in films known as "quota quickies." These were quick, low-budget films made to meet rules about showing British movies.

Kay first met David Lean in 1936. At that time, he was a film editor. They started a relationship, and Kay ended her engagement to Pellew. Kay and David Lean got married on November 23, 1940.

Working with David Lean

Kay then started working on more important films. She appeared in In Which We Serve (1942) and This Happy Breed (1944). Both of these movies were directed by Lean and written by Noël Coward. Kay even pushed for Lean to get credit as a co-director for In Which We Serve.

Kay also helped with writing for films. She contributed to the dialogue for the 1938 film Pygmalion. She also created the ending scene for Lean's movie Great Expectations (1946), and she received a writing credit for it. For Lean's film Oliver Twist (1948), she created the opening scene and played the character of Nancy.

Kay and David Lean divorced in 1949. After this, Kay continued to work as a character actress in many films throughout the 1950s. She worked with famous directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Ronald Neame. Her favorite film role was playing the barmaid Miss D. Coker in Neame's 1958 film The Horse's Mouth, which also starred Alec Guinness.

Theatre and Television Work

When she wasn't making films, Kay often appeared in plays and comedies. She performed regularly at the Strand and Aldwych theatres. These plays were directed by Basil Dean. In 1938, she starred with Peter Coke in the thriller Death on the Table. In 1940, she was with Ralph Lynn in the comedy Nap Hand.

Later, in 1979, she was a regular on the TV series Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Kay continued acting in films until she retired in 1981. Her very last role was in the movie Night Crossing.

Later Life and Family

Kay Walsh married for a second time to a Canadian psychoanalyst named Elliott Jaques. In 1956, they adopted a daughter named Gemma. However, this marriage also ended in divorce.

Kay lived in London after she retired. She passed away on April 16, 2005, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. She was 93 years old and died after an accident.

Filmography