Maggie Smith, legendary ‘Harry Potter,’ star of ‘Downton Abbey,’ dies at 89 – National
Lady Maggie Smithbest known for her roles in Harry Potter franchises and Downton Abbeydied. She was 89 years old.
The prolific star’s family released a statement regarding Smith’s death through his publicist. Smith died Friday morning at the hospital, although the cause of death has not yet been announced.
“It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement.
“An intensely private person, she was with her friends and family at the end. She leaves two loving sons and five grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their unwavering care and kindness during his final days,” the statement continued. “We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
Maggie Smith in season 2 of “Downton Abbey”.
Carnival Films for Masterpiece/PBS / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Smith was one of the most recognizable British actors in film and television. Her illustrious career spanned seven decades, although she received international admiration, notably for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series and as Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey.
She won two Academy Awards during her lifetime, for a 1970 film. Miss Jean Brodie’s Prime Minister, and later for Californian Suite in 1979.
Maggie Smith holds her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 51st Annual Academy Awards for the comedy “California Suite.”
Bettman via Getty Images
Smith also received Academy Award nominations as a supporting actress in Othello, trip with my aunt, room with a view And Gosford Park.
Her career began on stage in the 1950s, where she established a reputation as a talented and often scene-stealing actress.
Maggie Smith as Beatrice in Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, staged by the National Theater at the Old Vic in London, England on February 27, 1965.
Evening Standard via Getty Images
At age 80, Smith sometimes joked that it was harder to find acting work, particularly when she was competing for roles alongside Dame Judi Dench.
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Smith once dryly summarized his later roles as “a gallery of grotesques”, including Professor McGonagall. When asked why she took on the role, she joked: “Harry Potter is my pension.”
Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection
Smith had a reputation for being difficult and sometimes overshadowing others.
Actor Richard Burton noted that Smith didn’t just reshoot a scene in VIPs with him, but he said: “She is committing grand larceny. »
However, director Peter Hall found Smith not to be “very difficult unless she was among the idiots.” She’s very hard on herself and I don’t think she sees a reason why she shouldn’t be hard on others as well.
Smith admitted that she can be impatient at times.
“It’s true that I don’t tolerate fools, but they don’t tolerate me, so I’m irritable,” she said. “Maybe that’s why I’m pretty good at playing spiky older ladies.”
Celebrities and fans shared their condolences on social media as news of Smith’s death spread.
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe issued a statement through his publicist honoring his co-star.
“I remember feeling nervous about meeting her, and then she immediately made me feel at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that set, and then I was lucky enough to continue working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter movies. She had a fierce intelligence, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm at the same time and was, as anyone will tell you, extremely funny. I will always consider myself incredibly lucky to have been able to work with her and spend time with her on set. The word legend is overused, but if it applies to anyone in our industry, then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie,” the statement read.
Margaret Natalie Smith was born in Ilford, east London, on December 28, 1934. She summed up her life briefly: “We went to school, we wanted to play, we started playing, we still play . »
She took Maggie as her stage name because another Margaret Smith was active in theater.
Smith was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire, the equivalent of a knighthood, in 1990.
Despite her flamboyance on stage and in front of the cameras, Smith was known to be extremely private. She married actor Robert Stephens in 1967. They had two sons and divorced in 1975. The same year she married writer Beverley Cross, who died in 1998.
— With files from The Associated Press
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