British actress, Helen McCrocy, famously known for her roles in Harry Potter as Narcissa Malfoy and Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders, died of cancer at the age of 52.
McCrocy's husband, actor Damian Lewis, announced her death in an emotional tweet.
Helen McCrocy, studied at the Drama Center of London and was known for her long and acclaimed career on stage and films. She made her stage debut in 1990 in Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest as Gwendoline. She made her film debut in Interview with the Vampire, in a supporting role.
Helen McCrory joined the Harry Potter franchise as Narcissa Malfory, Draco Malfoy's mother, although she was initially cast as Bellatrix Lestrange.
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, tweeted to express her grief and pay condolences to McCrory's family.
Some of her other Harry Potter co-actors also spoke highly of the actress and reminisced the brief moments they shared with the late actress. Chris Rankin and Bonnie Wright played siblings Percy and Ginny Weasley.
Her Peaky Blinder's co-actors poured in their tributes to the actress. Cillian Murphy, who starred alongside McCrory.
"Helen was a beautiful, caring, funny, compassionate human being," Murphy said. "She was also a gifted actor — fearless and magnificent."
Finn Cole, who played her son Michael Gray on the show, wrote loving about the actress, while sharing a memory with McCrory from the show.
McCrory won a BAFTA Cymru Award for 1995’s Streetlife, as well as a Broadcasting Press Guild prize in 2001 for North Square. Her work in Penny Dreadful earned her a Critics Choice Television Awards nomination.
She had a prolific career spanning over 30 years. In 2003, she earned Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress for her role in Uncle Vanya.
Last year, during the height of coronavirus, Helen McCrory and her husband Damian spoke about a high profile mission to feed frontline healthcare workers in the UK.
When speaking about her journey and accomplishments on BBC Radio 4, she said “I don’t really reflect. When I was asked to look at different bits of my life for this program I had to look on the internet to see what I’d done. I’ve lived life at 150 miles an hour. I just think that is the truth of it and I’ve never really stopped.”
