Morag Hood, 61; Scottish Stage Actress Best Known for TV Role

Morag Hood, 61, the versatile Scottish actress best known internationally as the star of the BBC-TV production of “War and Peace” in the 1970s, died of cancer Oct. 5 in London.

Hood was in her late 20s when she won the coveted role of the girlish Natasha opposite Anthony Hopkins and Alan Dobie in the 1972 adaptation of Tolstoy’s novel. Two years later, she played Stella Kowalski in the West End production of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

After joining the National Theatre Company in 1976, Hood played roles ranging from Celia in “Volpone” to Esmeralda in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

Born in Glasgow, Hood performed in repertory theaters in Scotland, England and at Bristol Old Vic before making her West End debut in 1968 in Goldoni’s “The Servant of Two Masters.”