Anna Massey has died aged 73. The veteran stage and screen actress had been suffering from cancer and passed away on Sunday.
Awarded a CBE for services to drama in 2005, the Olivier Award-winning actress enjoyed a hugely successful career spanning over 50 years.
Born into a family of actors, Massey made her stage debut in The Reluctant Debutante at the age of just 17 and in the years that followed flitted between television, film and stage. Her career saw her star alongside iconic actors including Laurence Olivier and Richard Burton.
Massey starred in numerous West End shows including John Gielgud’s production of The School For Scandal, The Glass Menagerie, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie and David Hare’s Slag. She received an Olivier Award in 1983 for The Importance Of Being Earnest, a year after her brother Daniel had won the coveted accolade.
The actress received a BAFTA in 1986 for her acclaimed performance in Hotel Du Lac. Her extensive television credits also included Rebecca, Oliver Twist, He Knew He Was Right and, most recently, Poirot and Midsomer Murders.
Although Massey was arguably best known for her television work, the actress appeared in several films, working with the renowned film maker Alfred Hitchcock on his penultimate film Frenzy and starring alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in Possession.
Massey’s agents released a statement saying: “Actress Anna Massey CBE passed away peacefully on Sunday 3 July, with her husband and son by her side. She will be remembered as a loving wife and mother, a cherished grandmother, a generous colleague and, always, a consummate professional. She will be greatly missed.”
CM