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Following a prolific acting career that spanned more than seven decades, Dame Margaret Natalie Smith \u2014 known more fondly by her countless fans around the world as Maggie Smith \u2014\u00a0passed away\u00a0Sept. 27 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London at 89.<\/p>\n
Smith left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment. She extended her talent from theatre to film to television and became one of the very few people in history to achieve the\u00a0Triple Crown of Acting, which consists of a Golden Globe, Emmy and Tony, earning copious awards and recognitions throughout her diverse and celebrated career.\u00a0These included\u00a0five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards and one Tony Award.<\/p>\n
Smith was born Dec. 28, 1934 in Ilford, England. She began her acting career at age 17, starring as Viola in William Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952. It didn\u2019t take long for her versatility, wit and command of the stage to catapult her to stardom. In the 1960s, she cemented herself into the ranks of Britain\u2019s greatest stage actors during a stint at the Royal National Theatre. She soon branched out into film, and in 1970, won her first Academy Award for Best Actress as the title character in \u201cThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,\u201d a beloved British drama.<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s talent was not limited to dramas \u2014 some of her most memorable roles were in hit comedies, such as Granny Wendy in Steven Spielberg\u2019s 1991 movie \u201cHook\u201d and Mother Superior in \u201cSister Act\u201d in 1992 and its sequel, \u201cSister Act 2: Back in the Habit,\u201d the following year.<\/p>\n
In perhaps one of her most career-defining roles, Smith played Professor Minerva McGonagall in seven of the eight films in the \u201cHarry Potter\u201d franchise from 2001 to 2011. Author J.K. Rowling\u00a0personally requested\u00a0Smith for the role. David Yates, director of the series\u2019 final four films, called Smith \u201cacting royalty\u201d in an interview with\u00a0The Guardian\u00a0following her death.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe presence and power of her work never faltered or dimmed, even when she was struggling with some health-related issues on one of the films,\u201d Yates said in the interview. \u201cHer personality and her talent lit up whichever set she graced. I\u2019ve been very lucky to work with a huge number of talented actors, but Maggie hovers somewhere above them all.\u201d<\/p>\n
After her work on the \u201cHarry Potter\u201d films, Smith took on another world-renowned role as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the hit British historical drama \u201cDownton Abbey.\u201d Smith\u2019s character became a fan favorite on the show thanks to her sharp wit and classic British humor, and the role won her four Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s legacy was not limited to Hollywood fame. She was also widely admired for her charity work, which included a\u00a0donation\u00a0of $2.8 million to rebuild the damaged Court Theatre in Christchurch, New Zealand after an earthquake in 2011. She was also a patron of the International Glaucoma Association (now known as\u00a0Glaucoma UK) and the\u00a0Oxford Playhouse, and a\u00a0vice president of the Royal Theatrical Fund, which provides financial support for injured or ill individuals in the entertainment industry who are unable to work. She has also contributed personal items to auctions to raise funds for animal welfare charity\u00a0Cats Protection\u00a0and the\u00a0Royal Horticultural Society\u2019s Campaign for School Gardening. Most recently, she participated in online streaming events in 2020 and 2021 to support acting-related charities\u00a0Acting for Others\u00a0and\u00a0The Royal Theatrical Fund, respectively.<\/p>\n
In her final few years, Smith continued to earn praise and recognition for her roles. She starred in the 2018 documentary \u201cNothing Like a Dame\u201d (released in the United States as \u201cTea with the Dames\u201d) alongside fellow actresses and Dames of the British Empire Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins and Joan Plowright. In 2019, she returned to theatre as Brunhilde Pomsel in the one-woman play \u201cA German Life\u201d at the Bridge Theatre in London, which won her a record sixth Evening Standard Award for Best Actress. She was\u00a0set to star in the film adaptation\u00a0of the play but unfortunately passed before production could be completed. Her final role was as protagonist Lily Fox in the Irish drama film \u201cThe Miracle Club\u201d in 2023.<\/p>\n
According to a\u00a0statement\u00a0issued by Smith\u2019s two sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, she passed peacefully early in the morning at the hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end,\u201d the statement said. \u201cShe leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several of Smith\u2019s friends and peers took to social media to express their condolences. Among them was His Majesty\u00a0King Charles III, who released a statement on X offering his and the Royal Family\u2019s respects following Smith\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage,\u201d Charles said.<\/p>\n
Smith is no doubt a national treasure, and she is beloved by film and theatre fans around the world. She leaves behind an illustrious legacy of unforgettable performances that will be shared and cherished for generations, and her influence on the world of acting is immeasurable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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