Helen McCrory, who split her time between stage and screen work, appearing in several Harry Potter films and on TV with in Peaky Blinders, has died. She was 52.
Born in London in 1968, McCrory attended Queenswood School in Hertfordshire before spending a year living abroad in Italy. Upon her return, she started studying acting at the Drama Centre.
Her stage career was marked by success and awards (including a London Evening Standard award for best actress in 2002 for Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and an Olivier Award nomination in 2006 for As You Like It), and McCrory kicked off her film career playing a minor role in Interview With The Vampire, but quickly began carving out a niche of characters brought to vivid life, including in Charlotte Gray, Enduring Love, 4.3.2.1, Hugo Skyfall, Bill and The Queen, where she reprised the role of Cherie Blair from TV movie The Special Relationship.
McCrory was the original choice for Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, but her first pregnancy with husband and fellow actor Damian Lewis meant that Helena Bonham Carter took over the role. But that wasn't the end of McCrory's Potter experience – she was cast as Narcissa Malfoy (Bellatrix's sister), appearing in The Half-Blood Prince and both Deathly Hallows films.
On TV, besides her ongoing role in Peaky Blinders, McCrory appeared in shows including Penny Dreadful, Doctor Who, Fearless, Quiz, His Dark Materials, Spoonface Steinberg and Inside No. 9.
Lewis paid tribute to her in a tweet announcing her passing. Our thoughts are with him, their family and friends.