Mrs D'Urberville

Alec's mother is blind and bed-bound. A wealthy, white-haired woman, she is "bitterly fond" and mistrustful of Alec and is cold towards Tess, saving her affection for her animals. Her pet finches are allowed to fly freely around her chambers and Tess has to whistle to keep them entertained.

Anna Massey is one of Britain's most respected and prolific stars of screen, stage and TV. In the business for over 50 years, her film debut was in John Ford's Gideon's Day in 1958. Anna has won an Olivier award, a Bafta, two RTS awards and she is also a CBE. Her wide-ranging career has included roles in Hitchcock's Frenzy and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom as well as Edith in Hotel du Lac, Mrs Danvers in a TV adaptation of Rebecca and Miss Stanbury in He Knew He Was Right.

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