Haydn Gwynne has died: BAFTA and Tony-nominated actress was 66

Actress Haydn Gwynne died on Friday after a recent cancer diagnosis. She was 66.

Their representatives confirmed the news on Friday with a statement provided to several news outlets. The statement read that Gwynne “died in the early hours of Friday, October 20, in hospital, surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends.”

“We would like to thank the staff and teams at Royal Marsden and Brompton Hospitals for their wonderful care over the past few weeks,” the statement read.

Born in Sussex, England, Gwynne studied modern languages ​​at the University of Warwick before taking a five-year lectureship in Italy, where she taught English. She became an actress in her mid-20s and first gained attention on television when she starred in the comedy/drama set on the David Lodge campus. Good work (1989) before joining the comedy series Drop the dead donkey (1990), for which she received a BAFTA TV nomination in 1992.

Some of her other small film appearances are included Pointe practice, Merseybeatand the historic HBO/BBC series Rome. Gwynne also briefly portrayed former royal adviser Lady Susan Hussey, who left the royal household after a racism row, in the fifth Netflix series The crown.

In addition to her work on the small screen, Gwynne has had an award-winning career on stage, receiving four Olivier Award nominations for her performance in the West End productions of City Of Angels, Billy Elliot, The Musical, The Threepenny OperaAnd Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical Billy Elliot on Broadway in 2009.

Gwynne’s other prominent West End roles included Margaret Thatcher The crown Creator Peter Morgan’s 2013 production Public. In the play she played the lead role with Helen Mirren. Gwynne is to appear in a new London production by Stephen Sondheim old friends, but withdrew in early September. A statement at the time referred to “sudden personal circumstances”.

Author Jack Thorne paid tribute to Gwynne on social media, saying: “Haydn was the kindest, most beautiful soul and an amazing artist. She gave everything for everything.”