Too often these days, we have to share the sad news that the horror genre has lost another one of its icons. The news broke this week that Barbara Shelley, known as "The First Leading Lady of British Horror", has passed away at age 88.
Born in London on February 13, 1932, Shelley got her start in stage acting, but was so shy that her acting teacher advised her to try modeling to boost her self-confidence. Her modeling career led to a screen acting career, her first film role being an appearance in the Hammer Films mystery Mantrap. After a four year stay in Italy, during which she appeared in nine Italian films, Shelley returned to England and made her horror debut in 1957's Cat Girl.
Over the next thirty-five years, Shelley racked up a total of 104 acting credits, with some of her most notable roles coming in horror movies. For Hammer, she appeared in Shadow of the Cat, The Gorgon, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Rasputin: The Mad Monk, and Quatermass and the Pit (as well as the war movies The Camp on Blood Island and The Secret of Blood Island), earning the nickname "Queen of Hammer". She also starred in some horror films made by other companies, including Blood of the Vampire, Village of the Damned, and Ghost Story.
At a time when "classic actors" looked down on the horror genre, Shelley was thrilled to have the chance to star in Hammer horror films because they brought her recognition. She said,
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."
She also said that her open-minded outlook on genre work came from her father, who had a collection of science fiction magazines.
My mind had been opened up to science fiction by my father so when I got these scripts it wasn't 'What's this rubbish?' it was 'That's interesting.'"
Shelley suffered a stroke in 2007, fifteen years after she retired from acting. In December of 2020, she went to the hospital for a muscle check-up and, sadly, contracted COVID-19 while she was there. Shelley's agent, Thomas Bowington, said she recovered from COVID-19, but developed an infection along the way. She passed away on January 4th.
Bowington said Shelley
really was Hammer's number one leading lady and the technicolour queen of Hammer. On screen she could be quietly evil. She goes from statuesque beauty to just animalistic wildness. She was a regular favourite of Hammer events and autograph shows but also performed on stage with the RSC."
According to IMDb, Shelley's passing means that there are no longer any surviving cast members from 1966's Dracula: Prince of Darkness.
Our condolences go out to Shelley's family, friends, and fans.