Maggie Smith, Legendary Actress And Harry Potter And Downton Abbey Star, Has Died At 89

One of the world’s most beloved and distinguished actresses, Dame Maggie Smith, has passed away at the age of 89. While modern audiences know her best as a wise, poison-tongued woman from two major British franchises, she has been charming audiences for the better part of eight decades. Sadly, Smith’s publicist reports (via AP) that Smith has passed away. Smith is survived by five grandchildren and her two sons, English actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens.

Smith is best known for being a core part of millennials’ childhood as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” franchise — on set, she despised the hats and is said to have had a scary reputation. Later, she earned critical acclaim as Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the wildly popular “Downton Abbey” series and its two feature films, though she grew tired of the fame it brought her. For the audiences, in both roles, Smith radiated warmth, whilst playing characters with sharp tongues and even sharper wit.

But beyond the roles that have solidified her cultural capital on an international level, Smith has long been a cinematic treasure. Across her storied career, the actress earned acclaim and accolades, including five BAFTAs, four Emmys, two Oscars, and a Tony Award. For her contributions to the arts, Smith was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 and a Companion of Honour in 2014 for services to drama.

A legend of stage and screen, Maggie Smith started acting in the 1950s at age 17, beginning her career as Viola in an Oxford Playhouse production of “Twelfth Night.” Her breakout film role would come less than a decade later, in Stuart Burge’s take on another Shakespeare classic, “Othello,” where Smith starred as Desdemona opposite Laurence Olivier’s Othello. This role would mark her first of six Academy Award nominations. The very next would mark her first win, for a stunning turn in 1969’s “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”

Though Smith certainly made her name in dramatic roles — including several Shakespearean dramas — her comedic chops were equally adept and shown off in brilliant performances like in 1976’s “Murder by Death” and 2001’s “Gosford Park.” The latter also marked her final Oscar nod. The all-star cast featured screen legends like Helen Mirren, Clive Owen, Michael Gambon, and Stephen Fry — but as always, Smith stood out as one of the brightest stars of them all.

An all-around prolific actress, Smith delivered many memorable performances throughout her career, in films such as “A Room With A View,” “California Suite,” “Death on the Nile,” “Travels With My Aunt,” and many more. Smith made her last stage appearance in 2019 as Brunhilde Pomsel in The Bridge Theater’s production of “A German Life,” reprising the role in a feature film adaptation. It was one of her final roles. 

On the subject of her fame and revered status as an icon of stage and screen, Smith once told The Telegraph, “Everything’s an icon. If you have been around long enough you are an icon. A rather dusty icon … or a national treasure.” After eight decades of cinema being blessed with Maggie Smith’s luminous onscreen presence, there’s no question that she is an international treasure who will be sorely missed.