Barbara Shelley dead aged 88: ‘Queen of Hammer’ horror films and Doctor Who star dies from ‘underlying issues’ after recovering from Covid in hospital
Barbara Shelley has been hailed as the ‘technicolour queen of Hammer’ after her death at the age of 88.
The actress was the star of 1950s and 1960s Hammer Horror films including The Gorgon, opposite Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee; Dracula, Prince Of Darkness and Rasputin, The Mad Monk, both also starring Lee; and Quatermass And The Pit, as well as Blood Of The Vampire, and Village Of The Damned.
She also appeared in the Doctor Who episode Planet Of Fire, starring Peter Davison as the fifth Doctor.
Her agent, Thomas Bowington, said: ‘She really was Hammer’s number one leading lady and the technicolour queen of Hammer.
‘On screen she could be quietly evil. She goes from statuesque beauty to just animalistic wildness.
‘She was a regular favourite of Hammer events and autograph shows but also performed on stage with the RSC.’
He added: ‘She adored Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and loved working with them, that was very dear to her.’
Mr Bowington said Shelley had recently been in hospital, where she had caught Covid-19, but had since recovered.
He said: ‘It wasn’t the Covid that took her, she had underlying issues.’
Born Barbra Kowin in 1932, Shelley was also known for TV roles in series including The Saint, The Avengers, The Borgias, Blake’s 7 and Crown Court, and later played Hester Samuels in EastEnders.
In 2010, writer and actor Mark Gatiss interviewed Shelley about her career at Hammer Films for his BBC documentary series A History Of Horror.
The London-based production company, founded in 1934, made a string of hit Gothic horror films from the mid-1950s until the 1970s.
Many of these involved classic horror characters such as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and the Mummy.