Cillian Murphy says Helen McCrory ‘one of greatest actors’By Jenny Garnsworthy, Press AssociationActor Cillian Murphy has said he appreciates how Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight has kept the late actress Helen McCrory’s memory alive in the new spin-off film. McCrory played Shelby family matriarch Polly Gray in the hit BBC drama for five seasons from when it started in 2013 until her death from cancer in 2021 at the age of 52. The award-winning show ended following the sixth series in 2022 but will return later this year with its spin-off film The Immortal Man. “I love the way Steve has kept her memory and her character’s memory alive throughout this – particularly in series six and the film,” he told LADbible. “She was one of the greatest human beings and one of the greatest actors that I’ve ever encountered.

Source: Irish Independent March 13, 2026 19:15 UTC