A slim, small-boned redhead, Anna Massey was an actress of intelligence and sensitivity who built a distinguished career in the theatre and on television and used her distinctive voice, with its precise diction and clearly enunciated consonants, to great effect on radio.
Coming from a theatrical family, there was never any question that she would become an actress, though she had no formal training at either drama school or in repertory. She went straight into a West End play at 17 and was suddenly famous.
Despite her success, she found the theatre nerve-racking and suffered continuously from stage fright. She lacked confidence and rarely felt satisfied with her performances. In the mid-1970s, at a low point in her life, she started psychoanalysis, continued for 12