Dame maggie smith, the british film and stage actress best known for her roles in the Harry Potter franchise and all that Downton Abbeydied on September 27 at the age of 89.
In her storied career, which began at the Oxford Playhouse when she was 17, the late actress won two Academy Awards, one Tony Award, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, five Screen Actors Guild Awards and five BAFTA Awards. She received her title of “Dame” from Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for her contributions as an actor.
Smith’s career in entertainment has been one of impressive longevity, especially for an actress, as we’ve heard time and time again how roles for women dry up at a certain age. After establishing herself as a stage actress in Britain, she conquered Hollywood and won Oscars in 1970.The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) and 1979 (California suite) and nominated four more times between 1966 (Othello) and 2002 (Gosford Park).
But the real superstar was yet to come, a result of her portrayal of Professor Minerva McGonagall, the steely, enchanting (“piertotum locomotor!”) head of House of Gryffindor.
Smith was 67 the year of the first Harry Potter film was released in 2001 and appeared in seven of the franchise’s eight blockbuster films through 2011. Potter mania being what it was – and still is – the role gave her worldwide recognition. A whole new generation was introduced to her work. In her 70s, she became a rock star with a magic wand.
Then, incredibly, Smith landed another career-boosting role as Violet Crawley Downton Abbeythe British period drama that ran from 2010 to 2015. The Dowager Countess of Grantham – the matriarch of the dysfunctional family – was the queen of thought-provoking one-liners, delivered with an unforgettable scowl.
Her role launched her into the social media stratosphere in the late 1970s. Using images of her character, numerous memes have been created in the spirit of something Violet might say. Think, “Young man, I don’t feel like ‘Netflixing and chilling.'”
Smith appeared in the first two feature films of the TV franchise: Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: a new era (2022). While a third film is in the works, the second ended with her character’s death.
‘Nobody Knew Who I Was’ Until ‘Downton’,‘ she said
In Smith’s reflections on her career, she shared how Downton Abbey changed everything in terms of public recognition and her fame.
“Until I lived a completely normal life Downton Abbey,” she told the British Film Institute in 2017. “I’m not kidding. I would go to theaters, I would go to galleries… on my own – and now I can’t do it anymore.
She said: ‘It really is television. I’ve been working with it for a long time Downton Abbey. Life was fine. Nobody knew who I was. It has changed.”
Smith told NPR in 2016 that she found it “very strange to be recognized.” I’ve gone a long time without that happening to me. And it’s a very, very strange sensation.”
She admitted that at times it was “really fun,” but “sometimes you just want to do things on your own without thinking about whether you’re going to be stalked or asked to pose for one of those wretched cell phone things.”
That’s because, unlike Potterwhich everyone expected would become a hit franchise, Downton Abbey’The film’s success “surprises everyone,” Smith told NPR.
She attributed the popularity of her character Violet to showing off creator/co-writer Julian Fellowes’ lines, she said in the same interview.
“She stuck to her principles in the way she had lived,” Smith said of her character. “She could see what was going on better than a lot of other people. She was a wise old bird. She had been there, done that and got the T-shirt.”
As for the longevity of Smith’s own career, she attributed it to being a character actor early on versus the young vixen.
“God knows it has to be beautiful to be beautiful, but that’s very hard to lose,” she told NPR. “But if you’ve been doing character acting all your life, the transition is easy. You just go from one to the other and you suddenly realize, ‘Oh, I see I’m someone’s mother this time. And I’m someone’s grandmother. ”
Smith’s family announced her death
On September 27, Smith’s sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, confirmed her death.
“It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” said the statement from her family through publicist Clair Dobbs.
“She passed away peacefully early this morning in hospital,” the message continued. ‘She was an intensely private person and was ultimately with friends and family. She is survived by two sons and five loving grandchildren, who are devastated by the loss of their special mother and grandmother.”
They thanked the staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital “for their care and continued kindness during her final days.”
In the wake of the news, Smith’s Downton Abbey co-stars led the tributes.
Hugh Bonneville, who played her son, called her “a true legend of her generation.” Michelle Dockery, who played her granddaughter Lady Mary Crawley, said: “There was no one like Maggie. I feel extremely lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be greatly missed and my thoughts are with her family.”
