Haydn Gwynne Dies: ‘The Crown’ and ‘The Windsors’ Actor Was 66

Haydn Gwynne, a British actor known for roles in The Crown, The Windsors, and on the Broadway and West End stages, has died at the age of 66. Her agent announced in a statement that she died of cancer on Friday, October 20.

“It is with great sadness we are sharing with you that, following her recent diagnosis with cancer, the star of stage and screen Haydn Gwynne died in hospital in the small hours of Friday 20 October, surrounded by her beloved sons, close family, and friends,” her agent shared in a statement to the BBC. “We would like to thank the staff and teams at the Royal Marsden and Brompton Hospitals for their wonderful care over the last few weeks.”

On TV, Gwynne is best known for playing Queen Camilla in England’s Channel 4 comedy The Windsors. The royal family parody was renewed for Season 4 in April. She also starred in Channel 4’s newsroom satire Drop the Dead Donkey as assistant editor Alex Pates. Her performance in the comedy earned her a BAFTA TV nomination in 1992.

In The Crown, she played Lady Susan Hussey, lady-in-waiting to Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth II in Season 5. Gwynne can also be seen in Peak Practice, Merseybeat, Rome, Midsomer Murders, Silent Witness, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast live-action remake (as Clothilde, Cogsworth’s wife), and more.

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Gwynne had a celebrated theatrical career as well. She received Tony and Olivier Award nominations for playing the dance teacher in Billy Elliot the musical and was nominated for a total of four Olivier Awards in her lifetime. She played Margaret Thatcher in The Crown creator Peter Morgan’s 2013 play The Audience, with Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II.

In September of this year, she was set to perform in the West End revue Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, but she exited the cast shortly before it opened due to “sudden personal circumstances.” She had already starred in a previous production of the show. Producer Cameron Mackintosh said tonight’s performance of Old Friends would be dedicated to Gwynne (per The Guardian). Earlier this year, Gwynne played Prue Leith The Great British Bake Off Musical.

Gwynne was born in West Sussex, England. She studied sociology at the University of Nottingham and participated in student theater at Edinburgh fringe during that time. She shared two sons with her partner, Jason Phipps.