Helen McCrory, the versatile star of Peaky Blinders and three Harry Potter films, has passed away at the age of 52.

The BAFTA-winning actress died following a heroic battle with cancer as confirmed by her actor husband Damian Lewis. He paid tribute to his beloved wife via an emotional post on Twitter.

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— Damian Lewis (@lewis_damian) April 16, 2021

Born in London, McCrory began her acting career on stage before appearing on the small screen in an episode of the one-off sitcom Full Stretch (1993).

After featuring in the likes of Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) and the mini-series The Fragile Heart (1996), she then won a Welsh BAFTA for her performance as a struggling pregnant woman in the gritty drama Streetlife (1995).

Her career continued to escalate particularly on the small screen with roles in the likes of Trial & Retribution (1997), Anna Karenina (2000), North Square (2000), In a Land of Plenty (2001), Charles II: The Power & the Passion (2003) and Messiah: The Harrowing (2005) as well as films like Charlotte Gray (2001), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Enduring Love (2004), Casanova (2004) and Becoming Jane (2006).

During that period, McCrory also portrayed Cherie Blair, the wife of British prime minister Tony Blair (as played by Michael Sheen) in both the Oscar-winning biopic The Queen (2006), and its television follow-up The Special Relationship (2010).

However, she became more recognised to younger audiences for her role as Narcissa Malfoy, the scheming mother of Hogwarts student Draco Malfoy in three Harry Potter films; The Half-Blood Prince (2009), The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).

After a key part in the Oscar-winning family drama Hugo (2011), McCrory enjoyed a lucrative last decade that was mainly dominated by her recurring role as Polly Gray in the hit BBC crime series Peaky Blinders (2013-present).

As the no-nonsense matriarch of the Shelby clan, her popular character became a fan favourite with television audiences. However, it is understood that McCrory had not filmed any scenes for the show’s sixth and final series which is due to air later this year.

Away from Blinders, she continued to work consistently with various roles in film and television including Leaving (2012), Skyfall (2012), Inside No. 9 (2014), A Little Chaos (2014), The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (2014), Penny Dreadful (2014-15), Bill (2015), Their Finest (2016), Fearless (2017) and MotherFatherSon (2019).

Last year saw her appear as Sonia Woodley QC in the factual mini-series Quiz and as Dawn Ellison in the political based series Roadkill. She also voiced the character of Stelmaria in four episodes of the BBC fantasy series His Dark Materials (2019-20).

McCrory is survived by her husband Damian and two children.