Beloved Harry Potter/Peaky Blinders Actress, Helen McCrory Dead at 52 After Cancer Battle
Peaky Blinders and Harry Potter star, Helen McCrory, has died.
In a social media post on Friday, actor Damian Lewis confirmed on social media that his wife Helen McCrory had passed away peacefully at home at the age of 52.
“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,” he wrote on Twitter. “She died as she lived. Fearlessly.”
The actor continued, “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.”
During her long career in Hollywood, Helen developed a large fan base thanks to her roles as Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders and as Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise.
She joined the Harry Potter family in “The Half-Blood Prince,” playing the mother of Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) and wife to Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs). She reprised the role in the two-part finale of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
“I’m devastated to learn of the death of Helen McCrory, an extraordinary actress and a wonderful woman who’s left us far too soon,” Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling shared on Twitter. “My deepest condolences to her family, especially her husband and children. Simply heartbreaking news.”
In Peaky Blinders, she played the aunt of Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and the treasurer of the Peaky Blinders crime family in all five seasons of the British drama.
McCrory was also known for her long and acclaimed career on stage, and the National Theatre’s artistic director Rufus Norris said she was “unquestionably one of the great actors of her generation”.
The British star appeared in the James Bond film “Skyfall,” Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” and played Cherie Booth, wife of U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, in “The Queen” and “The Special Relationship.”
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.
In 2017, McCrory was also presented with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
During her theatre, television and film career, McCrory picked up several awards, like 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.
McCrory and Lewis have two children together, Manon, 14, and Gulliver, aged 13.