Author of the picture, Reuters
2 hours ago
The famous British actress Maggie Smith, who is famous outside the country for her role in the Downton Abbey series and the Harry Potter film saga, died at the age of 89. Her family announced the death of the van – actor
Maggie Smith is a legend on the English stage and British cinema.
Her most famous roles to modern audiences came in the latter part of her professional career.
Smith won millions of fans around the world after playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film saga and the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley in the Downton Abbey series.
Author of the picture, Ronald Grant
photo captions, Professor Minerva McGonagall is one of the roles that made Smith a star for a new generation of moviegoers.
However, great success came to Smith much earlier. She has won two Oscars, for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite in 1979, as well as eight British Bafta Awards.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Lady Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital in the early hours of Friday September 27,” her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in a statement.
According to her family, the actress was a very private person and spent her last days surrounded by family and close friends.
She is survived by five grandchildren, who are devastated by the loss of their grandmother, the statement said.
“We thank you for your kind messages and support and we ask that you respect our privacy during these times,” the actress’ sons wrote.
Author of the picture, AFP
From understudy to star
Margaret Natalie Smith was born in Ilford, Essex, on December 28, 1934, the daughter of a physiologist.
As the Second World War approached, the family moved to Oxford and young Maggie attended Oxford Girls’ School.
Her theater career began in one of Oxford’s theaters, where she sold theater programs, and then became an apprentice. But in one interview, she jokingly said that she never went on stage, because no one in that theater was ever sick.
Maggie Smith’s first theatrical record was held on the stage of one of the theaters in London in 1952.
In 1963, Laurence Olivier offered her the role of Desdemona in the play, where he himself played the main role – Othello. The play played to sold-out audiences at the National Theater in London for two years, and was later made into a film by the same cast.
In total, she has around 60 film roles to her credit.
In several interviews, she often said that she had never reviewed films with her participation.
