Actress Barbara Shelley, who starred in Hammer horror films and Doctor Who, passed away on January 4, 2021 from COVID-19. She was 88 years old.

Shelley starred in multiple Hammer horror films, including Blood of the Vampire, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, and Quatermass and the Pit. For these and other roles at Hammer, Shelley became the studio’s top female star, nicknamed the Queen of Hammer. In Doctor Who, she played Sorasta for the 1984 arc “Planet of Fire.”

“One of the greatest icons of British horror, Barbara Shelley, has passed away,” The Haunting of Bly Manor director Axelle Carolyn tweeted. “She brought grace and strength to every role, from Dracula Prince of Darkness and The Gorgon, to Village of the Damned. Truly a great loss.”

Shelley was born on February 13, 1932 in Marylebone, London. She started modeling in 1951, which led to a small role in the Hammer film Mantrap two years later. She spent a few years working in Italian cinema, then did her next Hammer film, The Camp on Blood Island. Outside of Hammer, she also starred in the iconic horror flick Village of the Damned.

Throughout her career, Shelley appeared in multiple TV shows, including BBC Sunday-Night Play, The Saint, Route 66, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Avengers. In the late ‘70s and ‘80s she did guest arcs on shows like Oil Strike North, People Like Us, The Borgias, EastEnders, and Uncle Silas. Her final role was in the video short More Than a Messiah in ’92.