London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Helen McCrory: Stars pay tribute to Peaky Blinders actress

Helen McCrory: Stars pay tribute to Peaky Blinders actress

Stars have paid tribute to Peaky Blinders and Harry Potter actress Helen McCrory who has died of cancer aged 52.

Cillian Murphy, who starred alongside her in the BBC drama, described her as "fearless and magnificent".

Also known for her stage performances, National Theatre artistic director Rufus Norris said she was "one of the great actors of her generation".

Her husband, actor Damian Lewis, announced her death on Friday "after an heroic battle with cancer".

He said he was "heartbroken", and that she was a "beautiful and mighty woman".

As well as her film and TV credits, she played seven lead roles at the National Theatre, whose boss Rufus Norris said: "With her incisive wit and ferocious intelligence, she was one of the most charismatic and distinctive performers."

She also worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Almeida and the Donmar Warehouse, and earned rave reviews for her role in Uncle Vanya in London and New York in 2002 and 2003.

Carrie Cracknell, who directed McCrory in a stage production of Medea, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she was one of "very, very few" people who knew about her illness and was "sworn to secrecy".

"Helen wanted to be very private about her illness and I understand why," she said. "When you live in the public spotlight you have to find the space to protect the things that are just for you. And certainly that was, it was for her and her family and her very closest friends."

Ms Cracknell said working with McCrory was "one of the highlights of my professional life".

"She had this extraordinary, fierce depth of character and complexity and ability to articulate so many parts of the human condition."

"She was this tiny, tiny woman and she would stand in the middle of the Olivier stage and sort of be possessed really, it was like she was transforming," she said.

She said McCrory's charity work and commitment to her family had defined her last few years of life, with her not wanting people to focus on her illness.

"She faced up to it with a level of bravery and humour that was completely extraordinary and as ever was teaching people how to live so it was a remarkable thing."

Sir Richard Eyre, who gave McCrory one of her first significant stage roles in the 1990s, said one of the most upsetting things about her death was that "we will be deprived of major performances that she would have been able to give" and described her as a successor to Dame Judi Dench.

Lewis and McCrory met in the 2003 play Five Gold Rings

In 2003, she met Lewis when they both starred in a play called Five Gold Rings at the Almeida Theatre in London.

McCrory was nominated for two of London's Olivier Awards for playing Rosalind in As You Like It in 2006, and for The Last of the Haussmans in 2013.

The actress was perhaps best known for playing Aunt Polly, the matriarch of the Shelby clan, in all five series of hit BBC period gang drama Peaky Blinders from its start in 2013.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight said: "Helen was one of the great actors of her generation. She was so powerful and controlled and this is so sad."

Murphy, who played Tommy Shelby in the show, added he was "broken-hearted to lose such a dear friend", describing her as "a beautiful, caring, funny, compassionate human being".

"She elevated and made humane every scene, every character she played," he said, adding it was "a privilege to have worked with this brilliant woman... I will dearly miss my pal".

BBC director of drama Piers Wenger added: "Helen was one of the finest actresses this country will ever see."

Actor Michael Sheen, who worked with McCrory on the 2006 film The Queen and more recently in ITV drama Quiz, described her death as "heartbreaking" and said it had been "an honour to work with her and know her" in a post on social media.

"So funny, so passionate, so smart and one of the greatest actors of our time," he tweeted.

"From the first moment I met her when we were just kids it was obvious she was very special."

Alongside a photo of McCrory, actress Dame Helen Mirren wrote on Instagram: "A great actress and a great person. this is so very very sad."

Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory married in 2007

McCrory married Homeland star Lewis in 2007 and they had two children.

Last year, the couple raised more than £1m to provide NHS workers with meals from high street restaurants during the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.

Comedian Matt Lucas, who worked with them on the FeedNHS campaign, tweeted that she "will be remembered not just for her remarkable stage and screen performances, but also for her selflessness and generosity".

McCrory played Narcissa Malfoy, the wife of Lucius Malfoy and Draco's mother, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Part 2.

In her tribute, Harry Potter author JK Rowling wrote: "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.

"My deepest condolences to her family, especially her husband and children."

With Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy (left) and Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Her other screen roles included the MP Clair Dowar in 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall, and former Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife Cherie in the films The Queen and The Special Relationship.

She provided the voice of Stelmaria, Lord Asriel's snow leopard daemon, in the recent BBC One TV series His Dark Materials, and the show's Twitter account called her "uniquely talented".

Film and theatre director Sir Sam Mendes, who directed Skyfall, remembered her as "an astonishing talent, a fabulous person, and an absolute true original".

She played Cherie Blair in 2006 film The Queen



Helen McCrory starred as Aunt Polly in all five series of Peaky Blinders


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×