Maggie Smith was a well-known British actress who appeared in over 60 motion pictures, television shows, and theater productions. At eighty-nine, she was.
Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, her sons, confirmed her death in a statement provided to the Press Association.
Smith was considered one of the most well-known actresses in Britain, having acted in over 50 films. Younger viewers grew to love her for her roles as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” movies and the Dowager Countess of Grantham on television’s “Downton Abbey.”
Along with his two victories, Smith also took home five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony Award, and two Academy Awards. In 1990, she was granted the honor of being named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Smith came to Oxford, England, with her family when she was four years old, having been born in Ilford, Essex. Her father worked as a public health pathologist for Oxford University. Smith attended Oxford High School until she decided to attend the Oxford Playhouse for acting instruction at the age of sixteen.
1952 saw her make her stage debut with the Oxford University Drama Society. She starred opposite Laurence Olivier in “Othello” (1965) ten years later, earning her first Oscar nomination.
In 1979, she was awarded her first Oscar for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.” Another one for “California Suite” was held in 1979.
Smith appeared in several films in the 1980s and 1990s, including the 1985 film “A Room with a View” and the 1993 comedy “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit” costarring Whoopi Goldberg. However, as the lead of the 2001–2011 “Harry Potter” film series, she shot to global stardom in the latter half of her career.
Her casting as the humorous Dowager Countess on “Downton Abbey” in 2010 brought her multiple awards, including three Emmys and a Golden Globe.
