Anna Massey, the British actress who snagged a 1957 Tony Award nomination for her only Broadway appearance, in The Reluctant Debutante, died July 3 2011 at the age of 73 after a battle with cancer, her agent said.

The daughter of Hollywood actor Raymond Massey, she was born in Surrey, England, and enjoyed a career on stage, and in movies and television projects. Her most famous film roles were Helen in "Peeping Tom" and Babs in Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy." She was married to actor Jeremy Brett for four years before they divorced in 1962.

Ms. Massey was awarded a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama in 2005.

The actress might be best known to British audiences for her work in the TV adaptations "Tess of the d'Urbervilles," "Anna Karenina," "The Cherry Orchard" and "Oliver Twist." She was Miss Prism in the 2002 feature film "The Importance of Being Earnest," starring Colin Firth, Rupert Everett and Judi Dench.

Her turn as a novelist in BBC's 1986 version of "Hotel du Lac," based on the novel by Anita Brookner, won her a BAFTA Award.

Ms. Massey's autobiography, "Telling Some Tales," reportedly explores in frank detail her split with Jeremy Brett (of TV's "Sherlock Holmes") and her struggle with anorexia and stage fright.

She is survived by her son, David, whose father was Jeremy Brett, and her husband Uri Andres.