The former Mrs. David Lean played young women in the 40s to great effect, but despite the fact she was a beautiful girl, she more or less began playing middle-aged parts in her early 40s
Kay like many other soon to be famous actress made at least one film with music hall all round entertainer George Formby, but the first film she made an impact was oppisite John Mills in naval war film In Which We Serve. again with Mills she made This Happy Breed with one great scene with Celia Johnson, who played her mother.
Kay wrote part of the screenplay of her husband Lean's film Great Expectations and played Nancy in Oliver Twist
in the 50s she played a middle aged housewife married to dying vicar Robert Donat in Lease Of Life, then in 1961 she made up to look older so she could play the wife of 79-yr-old Donald Crisp in Greyfriars Bobby. luckily the yr before she showed she could still turn on the sex appeal playing a middle aged showgirl involved with Alec Guiness in Tunes Of Glory
Kay Walsh -Young To Middle Age Overnight
As fas i believe Kay was happy to play unglamorous roles at such a young age, her early 40s. it still seems a bit of a shame though, because she was still a looker. i enjoy watching her in everything, including Greyfiars Bobby, but it was a strange bit of casting to put a woman of 51, i think, in the role, heavilly made up to play oppisite the elderly Donald Crisp instead of giving to an actress of the right age. Celia Johnson, who played her mother in This Happy Breed would have on the face of it would also been to young to play Crisp's wife