Actress Maggie Smith, best known for roles in Downton Abbey and Harry Potter films, has died

LAST UPDATE | 18 hrs ago

MAGGIE SMITH, THE Oscar-winning British actress best known for her roles in Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter films, has died at the age of 89.

Her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said she died “peacefully” in hospital this morning.

In a statement issued via their publicist, they said: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

“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.”

Tributes to the acting legend have begun to pour in.

Daniel Radcliffe remembered his on-screen teacher as a “fierce intellect” with a “gloriously sharp tongue” as he led tributes from fellow stars of the fantasy film series.

Dame Maggie won over Harry Potter fans later in life when she appeared as the quick-witted, kind but formidable Professor McGonagall, sharing the screen with Radcliffe in seven of the eight instalments.

Her role began in 2001’s Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone and lasted a decade.

Radcliffe said in a statement to the PA news agency: “The first time I met Maggie Smith I was nine years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job.

“I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her.

“The other thing I knew about her was that she was a dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’, at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’.

“I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease.”

Radcliffe said Dame Maggie was “incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films”.

UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, issued his respects in a post on X. “Dame Maggie Smith introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career.

“She was beloved by so many for her great talent, becoming a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come,” he said. 

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Dan Stevens, who starred alongside Dame Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey, posted a tribute to Instagram, saying simply: “Truly one of The Greats. RIP.”

A legend of stage and screen, Smith’s acting career began in the theatre in the early 1950s before she went on to appear in films.

In 1958, she received her first Bafta nomination for her role in Nowhere to Go, her first screen credit. 

In 1964, she starred as Desdemona opposite Laurence Olivier in Shakespeare’s Othello, at the National Theatre. Two years later, it was made into a film with the original cast, earning Smith her first Oscar nomination.

Her performance as the fanatical teacher Jean Brodie in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969 earned her international recognition and critical acclaim. She won the Best Actress Oscar in 1970 for her role in the film. 

She won her second Academy Award in 1979 for her role in California Suite.

Her versatility saw Smith star in many notable films throughout her career, including Death on the Nile, Clash of the Titans, Hook, Sister Act, The Secret Garden and Gosford Park. 

Her numerous awards also covered her performances in Tea With Mussolini, A Room With A View, A Private Function and The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne.

One of her most famous roles was as a bag lady in The Lady In The Van, the 2015 adaptation of Alan Bennett’s memoirs.

Later in life, she won over Harry Potter fans when she appeared in the film series as the quick-witted, kind and formidable Professor Minerva McGonagall.

In 2010, she was central to the success of the ITV series Downton Abbey, in her Emmy-award winning role as the acerbic Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, which she continued to play on the big screen.

She recently starred in the 2022 film Downton Abbey: A New Era, where Violet’s health deteriorates and she dies in an emotional end to her character.

The next year, she appeared in The Miracle Club, which follows a group of women from Dublin who go on a pilgrimage to the French town of Lourdes.

She was made a dame in 1990 for services to the performing arts. 

With reporting from Press Association 

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