Actress Helen McCrory, known for her roles in Peaky Blinders and three Harry Potter films, has died of cancer at the age of 52.
The news was broken by her husband, actor Damian Lewis, through a post on his Twitter account saying, “I’m heartbroken to announce that after a heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family.”
The ‘Homeland’ star goes on in the post saying, “She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you.”
The London-born actress, who starred as Narcissa Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” franchise, had an arch, mysterious quality that served her well in villainous roles, including the period dramas “Peaky Blinders” and “Penny Dreadful” and the “Vampires of Venice” episode of the long-running “Doctor Who.”
In addition to her film and TV roles, McCrory began her career on stage and appeared in more than 25 productions during the 1990s through the mid 2010s. Her stage credits included “Macbeth,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “As You Like It,” “Medea” and many more.
During her theatre, television and film career, McCrory picked up several awards, like the best actress at the London Film Critics Circle, the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, the Critics’ Circle Theater Awards and theatre actress of the year at the Glamour Awards. She was nominated for a Critics Choice Television Award and a Satellite Award for best-supporting actress in a drama for “Penny Dreadful.” For her role in “Macbeth” in 1995, she was named the most promising newcomer at the Shakespeare Globe Awards.
