Helen Mirren Pays Tribute to Late Friend Haydn Gwynne: ‘We Will Miss Her’

Helen Mirren is remembering her late friend and fellow actress Haydn Gwynne, who passed away at 66 years old on Friday. 

"Haydn was a delight as a person and a consummate dedicated actress. I had the huge pleasure of sharing the stage with her in the play The Audience in the UK, where, much like the original characters (Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher), we danced a delicate dance together," she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.

Mirren continued, "She was both funny and serious at the same time, a brilliant balancing act that her whole career exemplified. We will miss her very much."

Gwynne's agent confirmed her death to the BBC, telling the outlet, "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."

The late actress got her start in her 20s, appearing in What Mad Pursuit?, Lovejoy, Call Me Mister, Nice Work and Time Riders in the late '80s and early '90s. 

Gwynne went on to star in multiple television series, including Peak Practice, Merseybeat, Rome, Drop the Dead Donkey and The Windsors. She recently appeared in Season 5 of The Crown as Lady Susan Hussey.

In addition to her impressive on-screen résumé, she was also a celebrated theater actress, appearing in The Audience, The Threepenny Opera, Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, City of Angels and more. Gwynne earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress as the original Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot: The Musical.