We were devastated to hear the news that the actor Helen McCrory has died aged 52. Helen’s husband, actor Damian Lewis, posted on Twitter to confirm her death from cancer, saying that she had died ‘peacefully at home… surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family.’
Multi Olivier-nominated Helen McCrory has been a passionate advocate for theatre and she will be very much missed by all of those fortunate enough to have worked with her.
Billie Piper, James McAvoy and Helen McCrory at the 2013 Olivier Awards
Helen studied at Drama Centre in London, going on to have a hugely successful stage career spanning the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Almeida, the Barbican, the Donmar Warehouse and many other venues. She was twice nominated for an Olivier Award, first in 2006 for As You Like It at Wyndham’s Theatre, and again in 2013 for The Last Of The Haussmans at the NT’s Lyttelton Theatre.
On screen, Helen was best known for films including the Harry Potter franchise, The Queen and Skyfall, and TV series including Peaky Blinders, Penny Dreadful and Quiz.
Last year, Helen and Damian helped raise almost £1m for the Feed NHS scheme, providing hot meals for NHS workers during the pandemic, and were supporters of numerous theatrical charities.