Helen Elizabeth McCrory (17 August 1968 – 16 April 2021) was an English actress. After studying at the Drama Centre London, she made her stage debut in ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' in 1990. Other stage roles include playing Lady Macbeth in '' Macbeth'' at

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

Olivia Olivia may refer to: People * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer * Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 19 ...

in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' and Rosalind in '' As You Like It'' in the West End. McCrory portrayed

Cherie Blair Cherie, Lady Blair, (; born 23 September 1954), also known professionally as Cherie Booth, is an English barrister and writer. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Tony Blair. Early life and education Booth ...

in both ''

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

'' (2006) and '' The Special Relationship'' (2010), alongside

Michael Sheen Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage rol ...

who also portrayed husband and Prime Minister

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

in both. She also portrayed Françoise in the film '' Charlotte Gray'' (2001), the dark anti-heroine

Narcissa Malfoy The following are supporting characters in the ''Harry Potter'' series written by J. K. Rowling. For members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, Hogwarts staff, Ministry of Magic, or for Death Eaters, see the respective article ...

in the final three ''Harry Potter'' films ( 2009, 2010, 2011), Mama Jeanne in

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

family film A children's film, or family film, is a film genre that contains children or relates to them in the context of home and family. Children's films are made specifically for children and not necessarily for a general audience, while family films ar ...

'' Hugo'' (2011), Clair Dowar in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film ''

Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the vill ...

'' (2012), Polly Gray in ''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, rack ...

'' (2013–2019), Emma Banville in '' Fearless'' (2017) and Kathryn Villiers in '' MotherFatherSon'' (2019).

Early life

McCrory was born on 17 August 1968 in

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

, London.''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com Her mother, Ann (née Morgans), is a Welsh

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...

, and her father, Iain McCrory (born 29 March 1940), is a diplomat from

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

; they were married in 1968. She was the eldest of three children. She was educated at

Queenswood School Queenswood School is a girls-only independent school located near Hatfield, Hertfordshire, twenty miles from London. It offers admission at ages 11, 13 or 16 (for sixth form). The ''Good Schools Guide'' 2013 described Queenswood as "a girls' ...

near

Hatfield, Hertfordshire Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, and 39,201 at the 2011 Census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, home of the Marquess o ...

, then spent a year living in Italy. Upon her return to Britain, she began studying acting at the Drama Centre in London.

Career

McCrory won third prize at the

Ian Charleson Awards The Ian Charleson Awards are theatrical awards that reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors under age 30. The awards are named in memory of the renowned British actor Ian Charleson, and are run by the ''Sunday Times'' ne ...

for her 1993 performance as Rose Trelawny in '' Trelawny of the 'Wells''' at the National Theatre. In 2002, she was nominated for a London ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' Theatre Award for Best Actress (for playing Elena in

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

's ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the dir ...

'' at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

). She was later nominated for a 2006

Laurence Olivier Theatre Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for her role as Rosalind in '' As You Like It'' in the West End. In April 2008, McCrory made a "compelling" Rebecca West in a production of Ibsen's '' Rosmersholm'' at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

, London. She appeared in '' Charles II: The Power and The Passion'' (2003), as Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine and in supporting roles in such films as ''

Interview with the Vampire ''Interview with the Vampire'' is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac ...

'' (1994), '' Charlotte Gray'' (2001), '' The Count of Monte Cristo'' (2002) and '' Casanova'' (2005). In ''

'' (2006), she played

, a role she reprised in Peter Morgan's follow-up '' The Special Relationship'' (2010). She appeared in a modernised television adaptation of ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...

'' (2007). Her first pregnancy forced her to pull out of '' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' (2007), in which she had been cast as

Bellatrix Lestrange Bellatrix Lestrange () is a fictional character in the ''Harry Potter'' book series written by J. K. Rowling. She evolved from an unnamed periphery character in ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' into a major antagonist in subsequent novels. ...

(she was replaced by

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...

). McCrory was later cast as Bellatrix's sister

in ''

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the sixth and penultimate novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores t ...

'', released in July 2009. She reprised her role in the final films, ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' is a 2010 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the first of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow ...

'' and ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2'' is a 2011 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the second of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow ...

''. She also played the principal villain role of Rosanna Calvierri in the 2010 episode "

The Vampires of Venice "The Vampires of Venice" is the sixth episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was broadcast on 8 May 2010 on BBC One. It was written by Toby Whithouse, who previously wrote " School ...

" of the BBC television series '' Doctor Who''. McCrory starred in ''The Last of the Haussmans'' at the Royal National Theatre, which began 12 June 2012. The production was broadcast to cinemas around the world on 11 October 2012 through the

National Theatre Live National Theatre Live is an initiative operated by the Royal National Theatre in London, which broadcasts live via satellite, performances of their productions (and from other theatres) to cinemas and arts centres around the world. About I grew ...

programme. In 2013, McCrory narrated poetry for ''The Love Book App'', an interactive anthology of love literature developed by Allie Byrne Esiri. Again in 2013, she played Lady Macbeth in '' Macbeth'' at the Little Angel Theatre. The same year, she started playing Polly Gray in ''

''. In 2014, McCrory played the title role in the National Theatre's production of ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

'', directed by Carrie Cracknell. Also in 2014, she made a guest appearance on the TV series ''

Penny Dreadful Penny dreadfuls were cheap popular serial literature produced during the nineteenth century in the United Kingdom. The pejorative term is roughly interchangeable with penny horrible, penny awful, and penny blood. The term typically referred to ...

''. She returned as a regular for the show's second season, playing the main antagonist. In August 2016, McCrory was confirmed to play Emma Banville in ITV drama series ''Fearless'', which began airing in June 2017. In 2019, McCrory appeared as Kathryn Villiers in Tom Rob Smith’s '' MotherFatherSon'' alongside

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

and

Billy Howle William Walter Douglas Howle (born 9 November 1989) is a British actor. His films include ''On Chesil Beach'', ''The Seagull'', and '' Outlaw King''. On television, he is known for his roles in the E4 drama '' Glue'', the BBC miniseries '' The ...

. It averaged 2.69 million viewers.

Personal life

Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory (8464894420)

On 4 July 2007, McCrory married actor

Damian Lewis Damian Watcyn Lewis (born 11 February 1971) is an English actor, presenter and producer. He is best known for portraying U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'', which earned him a Golden Globe nomination ...

; the couple had a daughter, Manon, and a son, Gulliver. Their main home was in Tufnell Park,

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

, and they had another near Sudbury in Suffolk. McCrory served as an honorary patron of the London children's charity Scene & Heard. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, she and her husband supported Feed NHS, a programme to give food from high-street restaurants to

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

staff, and had raised £1 million for the charity by early April 2020.

Honours

McCrory was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the

2017 New Year Honours The 2017 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours were awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to drama.

Death

McCrory died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

at her home in London on 16 April 2021, aged 52. Announcing the death on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, husband Damian Lewis stated that she had died "peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family." She had kept her diagnosis private and very few people knew of her illness before her death. She was filming for season 6 of ''

'' at the time of her death. As she could not complete her scenes, the storyline had to be altered, and the production was forced to reshoot certain parts. Other than ''Peaky Blinders'', her last appearances include the 2016 production of '' The Deep Blue Sea'' at the National Theatre, one episode of the show '' Have I Got News For You'' in 2019, and the 2020 ITV drama ''

Quiz A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which players attempt to answer questions correctly on one or several specific topics. Quizzes can be used as a brief assessment in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

''Sources:''

References

External links

Helen McCrory
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCrory, Helen 1968 births 2021 deaths 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London Alumni of the Drama Centre London Deaths from cancer in England English film actresses English people of Scottish descent English people of Welsh descent English Shakespearean actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Queenswood School People from Paddington Royal Shakespeare Company members