Actor Haydn Gwynne has died at the age of 66, after being diagnosed with cancer.
She best known for roles including Queen Camilla on Channel 4′s The Windsors, as Alex Pates in Drop the Dead Donkey, and as Dr Joanna Graham in 90s medical drama Peak Practice.
News of her death was confirmed on Friday (20 October), with her agent saying a statement that she died in hospital “surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends.”
They added: “We would like to thank the staff and teams at the Royal Marsden and Brompton hospitals for their wonderful care over the last few weeks.”
The Olivier award-winner also had an impressive career on the West End and Broadway such as City of Angels, The Audience, The Way of the World, The Threepenny Opera and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
For her performance as the dance teacher in Billy Elliot the Musical, Haydn secured a Tony award. Earlier this year, the mother-of-two graced the stage for The Great British Bake Off musical as one of the judges.
Recent years also saw her appear as Lady Susan Hussey in Netflix’s The Crown. She also had roles in series such as Sherlock and Merseybeat.
Back in September, Haydn had to pull out of the West End production of Old Friends, only a few weeks before it debuted.
At the time, producer Cameron Mackintosh said: “Haydn gave an unforgettable performance of Ladies Who Lunch during the Old Friends gala premiere in May 2022 and has been an integral part of this very close-knit company ever since.”
The actor spent her early years in West Sussex, before she studied Sociology at the University of Nottingham. Haydn never received formal theatre or acting training, but took part in student performances at the Edinburgh Fringe before her breakout role in His Monkey Wife in 1984 in Scarborough.
