RIP Barbara Shelley: “Hammer’s Number One Leading Lady” Has Passed Away at 88
Josh Millican
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This morning brings the sad news that Barbara Shelley, an actress dubbed “The First Leading Lady of British Horror” has passed away at the age of 88. Her agent, Thomas Bowington stated: “She really was Hammer’s number one leading lady and the technicolour queen of Hammer. She adored Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. And loved working with them, that was very dear to her.”
Shelley’s extensive filmography included turns in Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Village of the Damned, The Camp On Blood Island, Murder At Site 3, The Shadow Of The Cat, Rasputin, The Mad Monk, Quatermass And The Pit, The Saint, Z-Cars, The Man from UNCLE, The Avengers, The Borgias, and The Gorgon.
Of her career in horror, Shelley stated in 2011:
“When I first started doing Hammer, all the so-called classic actors looked down on the horror film. There is a great thrill for me in having done Hammer and being known. All the other things I did, nobody remembers those. But the horror films, I’m very grateful to them because they built me a fan base, and I’m very touched that people will come and ask for my autograph.”
All of us here at Dread Central send our sincerest condolences to Shelley’s fans, friends, and family. She will be truly missed.
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