Maggie Smith, Star of ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ Dies at 89

Reflecting upon the captivating journey of Dame Maggie Smith, I find myself deeply moved by her remarkable talent and resilience. Her career spanned over six decades, gracing both the silver screen and the stage with her unparalleled artistry. From her early beginnings to her later triumphs, she embodied a spirit that was as vibrant as it was versatile.

Actress Maggie Smith, a two-time Oscar winner and three-time Emmy recipient with numerous stage honors, passed away at the age of 89.

With deep regret, we share the news of Dame Maggie Smith’s passing. According to a statement released to the BBC, her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin confirmed that she died peacefully in a hospital on Friday, 27th September. Despite being a very private individual, she was surrounded by friends and family at the time of her death. She leaves behind two sons and five adoring grandchildren who are heartbroken over the loss of their remarkable mother and grandmother.

In her late seventies, Smith gained a multitude of new admirers due to her leading part in the highly popular television series “Downton Abbey.” This show was successful not only on ITV and PBS’s “Masterpiece,” but also worldwide. She received two Emmys and was nominated for another two for her portrayal as the Dowager Countess.

Similarly to most British performers, Smith featured in several instalments of the “Harry Potter” movie series, portraying Professor Minerva McGonagall.

A master at classical and contemporary roles who was as renowned for her subtlety as for her broad-stroke mannerisms, the red-haired Smith delighted several generations of theatergoers on both sides of the Atlantic with signature performances in “Mary, Mary,” “Hedda Gabler,” “Othello,” “Private Lives,” “Night and Day” and “Lettice and Lovage,” and audiences around the world for her work in such films as “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” “California Suite,” “A Room With a View,” “Travels With My Aunt,” “Hot Millions,” “A Private Function,” “Gosford Park,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and its sequel.

In 2015, I had the privilege of taking on the lead role in “The Lady in the Van,” an adaptation of Alan Bennett’s play, which was inspired by his real-life encounters. This production was skillfully directed by Nicholas Hytner, who had previously overseen the stage version.

In the year 1990, she received the title of Dame Commander in the British Empire, an honor bestowed upon very few from her generation, with Judi Dench and Diana Rigg being among them.

A critic from Britain once praised her as an actress who has the ability to keep you engaged visually and audibly, with a mix of economy and tension, excelling in comedy and evoking emotion, a true gem on stage. Those who found fault with her performance style – elbows sticking out constantly, hands fluttering about, multiple takes, and varying tones of voice – particularly in prolonged plays, acknowledged that her theatrical presence was undeniable. Despite criticism, she herself said it’s better to overdo it on stage than to underdo it.

Similar to other extraordinarily gifted actors, such as Marlon Brando who immediately comes to mind, her immense talent occasionally led her astray. However, when she was at her best, she left an indelible impression, effortlessly captivating the audience and outshining everyone else on screen. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Smith did not belong to the dramatic, declamatory style of acting as exemplified by Laurence Olivier; instead, she was regarded as refreshing and lively. This unique approach, however, presented both advantages and disadvantages: When starting out, she had to prove herself as a serious actress capable of tackling classic works.

Margaret Smith hailed from Ilford, Essex, and her early education took place at the Oxford School for Girls. Afterward, she honed her acting skills at the Oxford Playhouse School, focusing on theater. By 1952, she had started performing in stage productions at Oxford University, with a preference for revues like “On the Fringe,” which occasionally took her on tour. When “On the Fringe” made its way to the West End, American producer Leonard Sillman noticed her talent and invited her to star in the Broadway variety show “New Faces of 1956”; she was the sole British cast member.

1957 marked a comedic shift for her, with “New Faces” leading to roles in the revue “Share My Lettuce” and a small film, “Nowhere to Go.” She revisited the stage with “The Stepmother,” followed by joining the Old Vic. Here, she built her serious acting reputation through performances in “The Double Dealer,” “As You Like It,” “Richard II,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” and “What Every Woman Knows.” In 1960, she shared the screen for the first time with Olivier in Eugene Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros.” Subsequently, she appeared in “Strip the Willow,” Anouilh’s “The Rehearsal” and readings of Sean O’Casey’s “Pictures in the Hallway,” which eventually led to a role in the film “Young Cassidy,” starring Rod Taylor as O’Casey.

Smith’s first Evening Standard award came for Peter Shaffer’s “The Private Ear/The Public Eye.” Her next triumph was Jean Kerr’s “Mary, Mary.”

Around this period, the film industry started paying attention to the actress: She delivered strong performances in supporting roles for films like “The V.I.P.s” with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in 1963, and in the drama “The Pumpkin Eaters” alongside Anne Bancroft the following year. These roles caught Olivier’s attention, who invited her to join his National Theatre Company for their production of “Othello,” where she played Desdemona. This role earned her theatrical recognition, an Oscar nomination for the film version, and a significant boost in her career. For the National Theater, she went on to star in productions such as “The Recruiting Officer,” “The Master Builder,” an outstanding performance in “Hay Fever,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Miss Julie,” “Black Comedy,” “A Bond Honoured” and an Ingmar Bergman-directed “Hedda Gabler,” which won her another Evening Standard Award in 1970.

I clinched the prestigious lead part in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” outshining seasoned stage actresses like Zoe Caldwell and Vanessa Redgrave. This role later earned me an Oscar, which I wasn’t present to receive as I was engrossed in portraying my character in “The Beaux Strategem” on London stages at the time. During this period, I also graced the screens in films such as “The Honey Pot,” “Hot Millions,” and “Oh! What a Lovely War.

At the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Smith performed in plays like “Antony and Cleopatra”, “The Way of the World”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “As You Like It”. She also acted alongside Brian Bedford in “The Guardsman” in Los Angeles in 1976. Later, she returned to Broadway in Tom Stoppard’s “Night and Day”, earning her a second Tony Award nomination (her first was for “Private Lives”).

George Cukor’s “Travels With My Aunt” earned him his second Oscar nomination. In “Murder by Death,” she portrayed a character with eccentricities, but in Neil Simon’s “California Suite,” her performance was deeply revealing, which eventually led to her winning her second Oscar as a supporting actress. Notable film roles during this time include “Clash of the Titans,” “Quartet,” “Evil Under the Sun,” and “Better Late Than Never.

She didn’t make movies that truly showcased her talent until the mid-80s. Two such films were “A Private Function,” penned by Alan Bennett, and “A Room With a View,” which garnered her another Oscar nomination. Both “A Private Function” and “The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne,” which had its supporters, fetched her BAFTA Awards for the best actress.

Regardless of the complexity of her roles, such as Jean Cocteau’s “The Infernal Machine,” they were always a spectacle to behold. Her portrayal of Virginia (as in Woolf) earned her another Evening Standard award in 1981, and she received another for “The Way of the World” in 1984. Alan Bennett penned the exceptional monologue “Bed Among the Lentils” specifically for her, and she garnered praise when she enacted it on television in 1988.

Shaffer penned the play “Lettice and Lovage,” a fantastic comedy tailored to her abilities. She excelled in London and later took it to New York, where she ultimately received her Tony award. It was around this period that she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, which affected her health significantly, limiting her capacity to work as often or for long durations.

Nonetheless, she racked up some impressive performances, particularly her award-winning “Three Tall Women,” written by Edward Albee, on the London stage in 1994. She appeared in several films including Steven Spielberg’s “Hook,” the mainstream hit “Sister Act” and its sequel, “The Secret Garden,” “The First Wives’ Club,” “Washington Square” and, impressively, the Ian McKellen fascist take on “Richard III.” She also appeared in the light-hearted “It All Came True” with Michael Caine and alongside Cher in “Tea With Mussolini.” On television she was unforgettable in “Memento Mori” and “Suddenly Last Summer” (which brought an Emmy nomination), along with appearances in telepics “All the King’s Men” (about a WWI tragedy) and “David Copperfield” (another Emmy nom).

In 2003, she won an Emmy for the HBO movie “My House in Umbria.” She was also nominated for another Emmy in 2010 for “Capturing Mary.” Later, she received two more Emmys for her recurring role as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, on the critically acclaimed British TV show “Downton Abbey.

In the early 21st century, Smith left a strong mark in prominent films by taking on supporting roles in “Gosford Park,” “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” “Becoming Jane,” “Keeping Mum,” and “Nanny McPhee Returns.” It was her portrayal of Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” movie franchise that introduced her to millions of J.K. Rowling’s fans. However, during the filming of the “Harry Potter” films, Smith, at the age of 74, was diagnosed with breast cancer. After making a full recovery, she resumed her acting career on both big and small screens.

Her professional journey continued with roles in the 2009 film “From Time to Time,” voice acting in the 2011 animated movie “Gnomeo and Juliet,” and appearances in the successful films “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and its sequel. In 2012, Smith was featured in Dustin Hoffman’s directorial effort “Quartet,” a film adaptation of his own play about residents at a retirement home for opera singers. She also starred in “My Old Lady,” Israel Horovitz’s debut as a feature film director, based on his own play.

In 1967, Smith wed actor Robert Stephens. After separating from him, she tied the knot with writer Beverly Cross in 1976; he passed away in 1998. Smith is now survived by her two sons, actors Christopher Larkin and Toby Stephens, as well as her grandchildren.

2024-09-27 16:49

Maggie Smith, Star of ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ Dies at 89

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