Actress Dame Maggie Smith, who starred in Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter films, passed away at the age of 89, said to her family.
Throughout her career, the legendary British actress and singer-songwriter won two Oscars: one for California Suite in 1979 and one for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970. She was nominated four more times and won eight Bafta prizes.
Dame Maggie portrayed the sharp-tongued Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films. She was well-known for her pointed witch’s hat and strict demeanour towards the young wizards at Hogwarts.
“Actress Dame Maggie Smith passes away at age 89”
She portrayed Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, the stately matriarch who was skilled at stinging one-liners during the course of the six episodes of the popular ITV program Downton Abbey.
“We have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith with great sadness,” stated a statement from her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin.
“She died quietly this morning, Friday, September 27, at the hospital. A deeply private individual, she passed away surrounded by loved ones. She leaves behind two sons and five devoted grandkids who are inconsolable over the passing of their remarkable grandma and mother.
We would want to use this chance to express our gratitude to the amazing personnel at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their unwavering warmth and care throughout her last days.We appreciate all of your nice words and encouragement, but we ask that you respect our privacy at this time.
“Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit, and formidable talent,” remarked Downton Abbey cast member Hugh Bonneville.Thanks to her several amazing on-screen roles, she will thankfully continue to live on as a real legend of her generation. My sympathies go out to her boys and her entire family.
Her other most notable performances were in the Merchant Ivory film A Room With a View (1985), when she played Charlotte Barlett, the chaperone who escorted Helen Bonham Carter’s Lucy Honeychurch to Italy. She received Golden Globe and Oscar nods for the part.
Her career started in theatre, but the 1958 melodrama Nowhere to Go earned her her first Bafta nomination.
By 1963, Laurence Olivier had offered her the role of Desdemona to play opposite his Othello at the National Theatre. Two years later, the role was adapted into a movie starring the original cast, for which Smith received an Oscar nomination.
[BBC]
