British actor Helen McCrory, who starred in the television program “Peaky Blinders” and the “Harry Potter” movies, has died, her husband said on Friday. She was 52 and suffered from cancer.
Her husband, co-actor Damian Lewis, said McCrory died “peacefully at home” after a “heroic battle with cancer.”
“She died while she was alive. Fearless, ”Lewis wrote on Twitter. God we love her and know how happy we are to have her in our lives. His flame so bright. Now, Little One, go into the air and thank you. ”
McCrory was one of Britain’s most respected actors and made her mark by playing a succession of formidable and sometimes terrifying women.
She played the matriarch of a crime family in ‘Peaky Blinders’ and the rogue Voldemort ally Narcissa Malfoy in the films ‘Harry Potter’.
Cillian Murphy, who plays the central role of gangland boss Tommy Shelby in ‘Peaky Blinders’, set in the early 20th century English underworld, said he was ‘heartbroken to lose such a dear friend.’
“Helen was a beautiful, caring, funny, compassionate person,” he said in a statement. ‘She was also a gifted actor – fearless and magnificent.
“She elevated every scene and every character she played and made it human,” Murphy said. ‘It was a privilege to have worked with this brilliant woman, and to have had so much laughter over the years. I will miss my friend very much. My love and thoughts are with Damian and her family. ”
McCrory also starred as a human rights lawyer in the international plot in the TV thriller “Fearless”, which starred and played Cherie Blair, the wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in the 2006 film “The Queen” in Martin Scorsese’s film “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 clever and one of the greatest actors of our time.”
Harry Potter writer JK Rowling tweeted that she was “devastated to hear of the death of Helen McCrory, an extraordinary actress and wonderful woman who left us far too soon.”
On stage, McCrory’s roles included the vengeful Greek heroine “Medea” at the National Theater in 2014. In the same theater, she excelled as a woman caught in 2016 between a dull man and a feckless lover in Terence Rattigan’s “The Deep Blue Sea.”
While many artists struggle to find meaty female roles in film and television, McCrory plays a series of them.
“In addition, there are a lot of things I reject,” she told The Associated Press in 2016, describing the kind of roles in which “all your lines” But what did you do at work? “It’s so smart, honey.” “How did you do that?” “And what did you do then?” ‘
“Of course there is so much sexism within the profession,” McCrory said. “But I think you approach it in different ways, and my approach is just to move forward.”
Others remembered McCrory for her charity work, including on FeedNHS, a campaign to provide meals to health professionals at the forefront during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Helen McCrory will be remembered not only for her remarkable stage and screen performances, but also for her selflessness and generosity,” comedian Matt Lucas tweeted. ‘She and Damian were the managers of FeedNHS and worked tirelessly during the pandemic to raise millions for others. What a tremendous loss. ‘
McCrory and Lewis, stars of the TV series “Homeland” and “Billions”, were married in 2007 and had two children.