Helen Elizabeth McCrory (17 August 1968 – 16 April 2021)[1] was a British actress who portrayed Narcissa Malfoy in the films Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Part 2.[3]
McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but was forced to pull out of the role when she became pregnant after which she was replaced by Helena Bonham Carter. McCrory later portrayed Bellatrix's younger sister instead.
On 16 April 2021, McCrory passed away at age 52 after a battle with cancer.[1]
Career[]
After the Harry Potter film series, McCrory later appeared in Doctor Who as the human Rosanna Calvierri, and is one of several actors to appear in both Harry Potter and Doctor Who.
Her notable television roles included Aunt Polly in the first five seasons of the British period crime drama series Peaky Blinders, Evelyn Poole/Madame Kali in the British-American horror drama series Penny Dreadful, Amanda Puryer on five episodes of Life (which starred Lewis, her real-life husband, in the lead role) and Mrs Vandeleur, the American fiancee of Ian Hart's Dr Watson in Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking.
Personal life[]
McCrory lived with her husband, actor Damian Lewis, and their two children, Manon and Gulliver, in Tufnell Park, London.[2]
Selective filmography[]
| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Interview with the Vampire | N/A | ||
| 1997 | Screen Two: "Streetlife" | BAFTA Cymru | Best Actress | Won |
| 2002 | Uncle Vanya | Evening Standard Theatre | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2004 | Charles II: The Power and The Passion | Satellite | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated |
| 2006 | As You Like It | Olivier | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2008 | Rosmersholm | Evening Standard Theatre | Best Actress (longlisted) | Nominated |
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | N/A | ||
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | |||
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 | |||
| 2012 | The Last of the Haussmans | Evening Standard Theatre | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2013 | Olivier | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Medea | Evening Standard Theatre | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2015 | Penny Dreadful (TV series) | Satellite | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated |
| 2016 | The Deep Blue Sea | Evening Standard Theatre | Best Actress | Nominated |
Behind the scenes[]
- Helen McCrory had been in productions with all three adult Albus Dumbledore actors outside the Wizarding World franchise: the 2002 film The Count of Monte Cristo with Richard Harris, the 2009 film Fantastic Mr. Fox with Michael Gambon, and the 2011 film Hugo with Jude Law.
- Hugo also featured Vernon Dursley actor Richard Griffiths and Olympe Maxime actress Frances de la Tour, with Younger Gellert Grindelwald actor Johnny Depp being one of the film's producers and having a cameo in it. The film is based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a historical fiction book written and illustrated by Brian Selznick, the cover artist for the US 20th Anniversary Edition of Harry Potter.
- In 2010, McCrory and Alex Price (Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) appeared together as an alien mother and son in the Doctor Who episode The Vampires of Venice.
- McCrory appeared in the 2007 film Becoming Jane alongside Molly Weasley actress Julie Walters and Minerva McGonagall actress Maggie Smith.
- McCrory appeared in the TV film Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking alongside Quirinus Quirrell actor Ian Hart and Pius Thicknesse actor Guy Henry.
- McCrory and Theseus Scamander actor Callum Turner played secret lovers in the 2012 TV mini-series Leaving.
- McCrory appeared in Focus on the Family Radio Theatre's Father Gilbert Mysteries series, alongside Timothy Bateson.
- In the Father Gilbert Mysteries episode The Grey Lady, McCrory voiced a ghost that was nicknamed the Grey Lady, whom coincidentally shares this nickname with One of Hogwarts' ghosts.
