Kay Walsh, 90; British Character Actress Was a Skilled Writer

Kay Walsh, 90, a subtle but expressive actress who starred in some of the finest British films of the 1940s, died April 16 in London. No cause of death was reported.

Walsh, the second of director David Lean’s six wives, moved swiftly from the choruses of West End music halls to sizable movie roles. A deft writer, she also contributed lines to a filmed version of George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” (1938) and was so fluid in her style that Shaw thought the script had been entirely faithful to his play.

On the screen, she played the noble wife of a British seaman played by John Mills in “In Which We Serve” (1942). She became a character actress in the 1950s, with her most notable roles coming in “Stage Fright,” “Meet Me Tonight” and “Cast a Dark Shadow.” Her last film was “Night Crossing” (1981), a Cold War drama.

Walsh was born in London and raised in Pimlico, England, by her grandmother.

As a young stage actress, she was signed to a contract with Ealing Studios.