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Maggie Smith has died at the age of 89. The multi-awarded actress known for her roles in the movie Jane Brodie’s Best Years, the fantasy saga Harry Potter or the TV series Downton Manor. The news was confirmed on Friday by her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, writes the Guardian.
“She died peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. A very withdrawn person, she was with friends and family at the end of her life. “She is survived by two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” her two sons wrote in a statement.
Smith was a prominent British stage and film actress. During her career, which began in the 1950s, she played roles ranging from Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello to teacher Jean Brodie, for which she won an Oscar.
But she gained viewers mainly in comedies. “My career is in shambles,” she told the Guardian in 2004. “I think they boxed me into humor. When you’re doing comedy, you’re a little taken for granted. Comedy is never considered real.” She shone, for example, as the mother introduced in the comedies Sister in Action with Whoopi Goldberg.
However, Smith also excelled in non-comedic dramatic roles. She appeared alongside Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre, won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress for Judith Hearn’s The Lonely Passion and played the title role in Ingmar Bergman’s Heddy Habler in 1970.
She also became known to viewers thanks to her role as Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series. Between 2001 and 2011, she appeared in all but Deathly Hallows Part 1. But she was also known for her role as the Countess of Grantham in the television series Downton Manor by screenwriter Jualian Fellowes. At the end of her career, she triumphed in The Lady in the Van, Alan Bennett’s memoir about the woman who lived in his driveway.
Smith was married twice. First with fellow actor Robert Stephens in the years 1967-1975 and with Beverley Cross from 1975 until his death in 1998. In 1990 she received from Queen Elizabeth II. a noble title of dame (feminine equivalent of sir) for merit in the arts.
