British actor Helen McCrory, who starred in the TV show “Peaky Blinders” and the “Harry Potter” movies, has died, her husband said Friday. He was 52 years old and suffering from cancer.
Her husband, also actor Damian Lewis, said McCrory died “peacefully at home” after a “heroic battle against cancer.”
“He died the way he lived. Fearless, “Lewis wrote on Twitter.” God we love her and we know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She burned so hard. Go now, Little One, into the air and thank you. ” .
McCrory was one of Britain’s most respected actors, leaving her mark playing a succession of formidable and sometimes fearsome women.
She played the matriarch of a crime family in “Peaky Blinders” and Voldemort’s complicated ally Narcissa Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” movies.
Cillian Murphy, who plays the central role of gang leader Tommy Shelby in “Peaky Blinders,” set in the early 20th century English underworld, said he was “heartbroken to lose a dear friend.”
“Helen was a beautiful, supportive, funny and compassionate human being,” she said in a statement. “He was also a gifted actor: intrepid and magnificent.
“He elevated and made human every scene, every character he played,” Murphy said. “It was a privilege to have worked with this brilliant woman, to have shared so many laughs over the years. I will miss my friend very much. My love and my thoughts are with Damian and his family. “
McCrory also acted as a human rights lawyer drawn into international intrigue in the television thriller “Fearless,” she played lawyer Cherie Blair, the wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in the 2006 film “The queen “and starred in Martin Scorsese’s” Hugo “and the James Bond thriller” Skyfall. “
Actor Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair in “The Queen,” said McCrory was “so funny, so passionate, so smart and one of the best actors of our time.”
“Harry Potter” author JK Rowling tweeted that she was “devastated to learn of the death of Helen McCrory, an extraordinary actress and a wonderful woman who has left us too soon.”
On stage, McCrory’s roles included the vengeful Greek heroine “Medea” at the National Theater in 2014. At the same theater, she stood out as a woman trapped between a bored husband and a cheeky lover in Terence’s “The Deep Blue Sea.” Rattigan in 2016.
While many performers struggle to find female fleshy roles in film and television, McCrory played a string of them.
“That said, there are a lot of things I reject,” he told The Associated Press in 2016, describing the kind of roles in which “all your lines are.” But what have you done at work? “She’s so smart, darling.” “How did you do it?” “And then what did you do?”
“Of course, there’s so much sexism within the profession,” McCrory said. “But I think you approach it in different ways and my focus is just moving forward.”
Others recalled McCrory for his charitable work, including FeedNHS, a campaign to provide food to front-line health workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Helen McCrory will be remembered not only for her exceptional stage and screen performances, but also for her selflessness and generosity,” comedian Matt Lucas posted on Twitter. “She and Damian were the engines of FeedNHS, working tirelessly during the pandemic to raise millions for other people. What a tremendous loss. “
McCrory and Lewis, stars of the television series “Homeland” and “Billions,” were married in 2007 and had two children.