Acclaimed English actress Haydn Gwynne, known for her roles in Drop the Dead Donkey, Peak Practice, Merseybeat, and The Windsors, has passed away at the age of 66. She had an illustrious stage career, having been nominated for both Olivier and Tony awards on Broadway for her performance in Billy Elliot the Musical.
Gwynne, who played Queen Camilla in The Windsors and Margaret Thatcher in The Audience, was forced to withdraw from a play last month after being diagnosed with cancer. Her agent issued a statement announcing that she had passed away in hospital surrounded by close family and friends.
Her breakthrough role was in the TV drama Nice Work in the late 1980s, and she received a BAFTA nomination for her role as Alex, a cynical journalist, in topical satire Drop the Dead Donkey. On Channel 4 comedy show The Windsors, Gwynne played Camilla as the soap opera villainess, which she found liberating as she did not have to conduct serious research.
Gwynne received further Olivier nominations for performances in City of Angels, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and The Threepenny Opera. Paying tribute to the “gifted and versatile all-rounder,” playwright Jonathan Harvey commented, while fellow writer Jack Thorne described her as “the kindest, loveliest soul and a wonderful performer” who “gave everything to everything.” Actor Samuel West paid tribute to Gwynne, saying that her loss was “terrible” and that she was “one of the nicest and one of the best.
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