Actress Barbara Shelley died Monday from underlying conditions after she contracted COVID-19, her agent says.
Shelley was 88 at the time of her death, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Shelley was most known for her roles in the British horror films produced by Hammer. Her roles landed her the nickname “Queen of Hammer,” The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Most notably, Shelley starred in “The Gorgon,” “Dracula: Prince Of Darkness,” “Rasputin: The Mad Monk” and “Quatermass And The Pit.”
“Hammer was like a family, a very talented family… with a wonderful atmosphere on the set and a wonderful sense of humour,” Shelley once said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (RELATED: Hollywood Star Lynn Kellogg, Known For Her Role In ‘Hair,’ Dies After Contracting COVID-19)
“When I first started doing Hammer, all the so-called classic actors looked down on the horror film,” she reportedly added. “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. If you went to see a [Hammer] film in the cinema, the gasps were interspersed with giggles because people were giggling at themselves for being frightened, they were frightening themselves; and this is what made Hammer very special.”
Shelley also starred in over 100 films and television shows outside of the horror genre including “Village Of The Damned,” “Doctor Who,” “The Avengers” and “EastEnders.”