Kay Walsh, a superb British character actress, whose most famous role was that of Nancy, the sympathetic prostitute who is brutally murdered by Bill Sykes in David Lean's magnificent adaptation of Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist (1948), died on April 16 in London, England of natural causes. She was 93.

Shw was born on August 27, 1911 in London, and began a showbusiness in career as a chorus girl fro West End musicals while still in her teens. Soon, she began to grew out of the chorus line and began working in plays. In 1934, after being spotted by a talent scout for Ealing Studios, she signed a contract with them, and for the next few years, she worked mainly in lightweight comedies: Get Your Man (1934), If I Were Rich (1936) , The Luck of the Irish (1937), Meet Mr. Penny (1938). True, these titles were not the highlights of British cinema in the '30s, but they were crowd pleasers and Walsh did establish a niche as comfortable presence to the public.

She came into her own in the '40s, where she starred in some of the most moving British films from the era: John Mills' faithful wife in the popular wartime drama In Which We Serve (1942); a stalwart homemaker in This Happy Breed (1944); a woman trying to help an innocent man accused of murder (Sir John Mills) in The October Man (1947); a particularly hilarious turn as Robert Livesly¿s put upon fiance who does understand his suddenly childish behavior in Peter Ustinov's delightful generational switch comedy Vice Versa (1948); and of course, Nancy, the ill-fated woman who tries to help young Oliver escape the clutches of Bill Sykes in David Lean's classic take on Dickens' Oliver Twist (1948).

Her career slowed over the next decade as she divided her time with the stage, but roles in Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1950); a fine comic turn as as bawdy barmaid who matches wits with an equally raffish artist (the inimitable Alec Guiness) in The Horse's Mouth (1958); and a devoted military wife in Tunes of Glory saw her mature into a fine character actress.

Walsh acted primarily on the UK stage and television for the remainder of her career, and made her final appearance as a grandmother of an East German family who escapes over the wall, via a hot air balloon, in Night Crossing (1981). Walsh was married to director David Lean (1940-49). She is survived by a daughter, Gemma.

by Michael T. Toole