Barbara Shelley, the 'Queen of Hammer', dies at the age of 88 after battling COVID-19

Acclaimed horror movie actor Barbara Shelley has died at the age of 88 after contracting COVID-19, according to The Wrap. Barbara’s agent Thomas Bowington informed the UK’s press association that Barbara spent two weeks in the hospital before Christmas battling COVID-19. He further stated that it's likely COVID might come up on the death certificate. Many actors and other celebrities paid tribute to the late British actor on their social media handles.

Barbara Shelley dies at the age of 88

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Barbara Shelley's movies

Barbara was born in London and began her career as an actor in the mid-1950s after moving to Italy. Barbara was popular for her roles in classic horror films which were produced by London-based Hammer Film Productions, including The Gorgon, The Pit and Quatermass. She has been featured in more than 100 films and TV series. She has also appeared alongside Christopher Lee in Dracula: Prince of Darkness in the year 1966. The film was directed by Terence Fisher. With that role, she came to be known as the Queen of Hammer. She is also named a ‘Scream Queen’ for her most famous scream in Dracula.

Barbara joined the 21st season of BBC’s sci-fi series Dr Who, where she played Sorasta in the show’s Planet of Fire. Her former Dr Who co-actor Nichola Bryant took to her Twitter handle on January 4, 2020, to pay tribute to the 'Queen of Hammer'. She expressed her grief and informed her fans that on the sets of Planet of Fire, Barbara was kind to her. She also wrote that Barbara gave her a little owl which is still in her possession.

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Reflecting back on her acting career, in an interview with Express Magazine in the year 2009, Barbara said that she was proud to help Hammer Horror to bring its spine-chilling tales to mainstream audiences. She said that she considered Hammer as her talented family and that she loved the ‘wonderful atmosphere’ on the set. She expressed her gratitude to Hammer because horror films helped her create a fan base. Many of her fans too shared her pictures and expressed their grief.

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Image Source: A still from Dracula

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