British actor Helen McCrory, best known for playing Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders and Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise, has died from cancer at the age of 52, her husband, Damian Lewis, announced on Friday. “I’m heartbroken to announce that after a heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family,†Lewis wrote. “She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you.â€
In addition to her roles on Peaky Blinders and in the Harry Potter films, McCrory also played Tony Blair’s wife, Cherie Blair, in both The Queen (2006) and The Special Relationship (2010). She also had a prolific stage career, appearing in over 25 productions since 1990, including Macbeth, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and Medea, for which she won a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award in 2015. Tributes to McCrory poured in on social media following the announcement of her death. The official Harry Potter franchise account, Wizarding World, wrote, “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our beloved Helen McCrory, who played Narcissa Malfoy with such depth and brilliance in the Harry Potter film series. She was a wonderful actor and a very dear friend; Harry Potter fans will miss her very much.â€
McCrory married Lewis (Homeland, Band of Brothers) in 2007. She is survived by Lewis and their two children, Manon and Gulliver.