Dame Maggie Smith, the unparalleled British actress whose career spanned over 70 years, has left us, passing away at the age of 89.
The respected English dame “passed away peacefully” early Friday in a London hospital, her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement.
“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,” her family said in a statement issued through publicist Clair Dobbs. Her sons thanked the “wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.”
Born Margaret Natalie Smith on September 28, 1934, in Ilford, Essex, England, she was the daughter of a Scottish mother and an English father. This heritage allowed her to effortlessly switch between Scottish roles like Professor Minerva McGonagall or Miss Jean Brodie and English roles like Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, or Constance, Lady Trentham.
She made her acting debut at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952 before quickly moving to London’s West End. Achieving almost instant success, she worked under the directorship of Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre, acting in several Shakespearean productions and transitioning seamlessly between comic and tragic roles. In the mid-20th century, she was renowned for her Shakespearean performances both on stage and in film, including Desdemona opposite Sir Laurence Olivier’s Othello and the Duchess of York in Sir Ian McKellen’s Richard III. She opted for the stage name of Maggie Smith when she discovered that there was already a Margeret Smith acting in London Theater.
Smith left behind a rich tapestry of performances, from her iconic role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series to the acerbic Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey. Adored by generations, she amassed nearly 90 credits across several genres, making her one of the most recognizable faces in the entertainment industry.
She was also known for her work in adaptations of Shakespeare, Dickens, Neil Simon, and Agatha Christie, as well as contemporary roles like the Mother Superior in Whoopi Goldberg’s Sister Act.
Throughout her illustrious career, she received numerous accolades. She was nominated for six Oscars and won two, for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite. She earned eighteen BAFTA nominations and won five, for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Private Function, A Room with a View, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, and Tea with Mussolini. She received twelve Screen Actors Guild nominations and won five, for Gosford Park, Downton Abbey, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. She was nominated for twelve Golden Globe awards and won three, for California Suite, A Room with a View, and Downton Abbey. On stage, she was nominated for three Tony Awards and won one for Lettice and Lovage. On television, she was nominated for nine Emmy Awards and won four, three for Downton Abbey and one for My House in Umbria.
Her tenacity was astonishing. During the filming of the Harry Potter films in 2007, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and kept working through the treatments. She had beaten the disease after two years had passed.
For her services to drama, she was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1970 and the DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1990. In 2014, Queen Elizabeth named her a Companion of Honor.
She was married twice, first to actor Sir Robert Stephens and later to playwright Beverley Cross. She had two sons with Stephens, both of whom became actors: Chris Larkin, known for his role as Robin Whitefield in Angels and Insects, and Toby Stephens, known for Captain Flint in Black Sails and John Robinson in Lost in Space.
Dame Maggie Smith died on September 27, 2024. Thank you, Dame Smith. We owe you a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.
Actors come to the stage and screen to delight us and leave in their own time, and become part of the grand tradition of acting. Dame Maggie Smith did not just stand apart from the rest. While other actors worked in the space given them, Dame Smith defined that space and the rest of the world flowed around her in tribute of who she was, what she had accomplished and what she could do in her performances and the spoken word. We all play at this, and work at it, but we are as children might be in the profound presence of Dame Smith and her legacy. She was steadfast, indominatable, and consummate, and of all who have passed before her, we shall feel her loss especially keenly.
– ed.
Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
She did some great work and will be missed!
“She was also known for her work in adaptations of Shakespeare, Dickens, Neil Simon, and Agatha Christie….” This is bizarre. I won’t even begin to claim to be as well-known as Dame Maggie Smith. But I’ve done three of those four! Looks like I’ll have to do the fourth.