Dame Maggie Smith, Oscar-Winning Star Of Downton Abbey, Dead At 89
Dame Maggie Smith, a legendary British star of stage and screen, died Friday at the age of 89.
"It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith," her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in a statement to BBC. "She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving 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 the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days. We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time."
TVLine has reached out to Smith's representatives for further information and confirmation.
Smith's first love was the theater, which she began studying as a teenager at the Oxford Playhouse. Stateside, Smith — who would go on to win a Tony Award 34 years later — made her Broadway debut in 1956.
On the small screen, Smith most recently charmed international audiences as Downton Abbey's Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, whom she played from 2010 to 2015. The role of Downton's sharp-witted matriarch earned Smith three Primetime Emmy Awards, one Golden Globe Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. She later reprised the role in two Downton films, which hit theaters in 2019 and 2022.
"Maggie Smith was a truly great actress and we were more than fortunate to be part of the last act in her stellar career," said Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes — who also worked with Smith on the films Gosford Park and From Time to Time — in a statement to our sister publication Variety. "She was a joy to write for, subtle, many-layered, intelligent, funny and heart-breaking. Working with her has been the greatest privilege of my career, and I will never forget her."
Smith will forever be remembered by movie lovers for her portrayal of Professor Minerva McGonagall in seven of the eight Harry Potter installments, Mother Superior in the Sister Act series, and her unforgettable performances in films like Clash of the Titans (1981), Hook (1991), Gosford Park (2001) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011).
As mentioned earlier, Smith received countless accolades throughout her acting career, including two Academy Awards (Best Actress for 1969's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Best Supporting Actress for 1978's California Suite); one Tony (Best Actress in a Play for 1990's Lettice and Lovage); and four Emmys (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special for 2003's My House in Umbria, as well as three separate wins for her work on Downton Abbey).
Smith was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1970, an honor that was elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1990.
Which of Smith's many memorable roles were your favorites? Drop a comment with your favorite memories from her career below.