Biography
A prolific English actress with a marked flair for period drama, Helen McCrory accepted one of her first roles as a New Orleans prostitute in
Neil Jordan's gothic horror opus
Interview with the Vampire (1994); though this merely constituted a bit part, McCrory gradually ascended to higher billing in outings such as
Witness Against Hitler (1995),
The James Gang (1997), and
Split Second (1999), before tackling the lead role of Anna Karenina in director David Blair's 2001 miniseries adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's seminal novel, and signed for another lead in the humorous made-for-television crime thriller
Dead Gorgeous (2002), adapted from the novel On the Edge by Peter Lovesey. McCrory maintained a higher profile and netted more widespread global recognition as the title character's mother in
Lasse Hallström's
Casanova (2005) and as Cherie Blair, the wife of British prime minister Tony Blair, in the 2006 docudrama
The Queen. McCrory then signed for a plum role as Narcissa Malfoy in the fantasy
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2008). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide