Maggie Smith, the British actor who held iconic roles as the titular character in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (1969), the dowager of “Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” film series, died Friday at the age of 89.
Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, Smith’s sons, issued a statement confirming Smith’s death, which their publicist shared. In the statement, they write: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. 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.”
Born in Ilford, on the outskirts of London in 1934, Smith once said of her life, “One went to school, one wanted to act, one started to act, one’s still acting,” per the AP. She began an apprenticeship at the Oxford Playhouse School when her father was given a wartime assignment in Oxford. She was cast in Laurence Olivier’s “Othello” in 1965 after the director recruited her to be part of his National Theater Company.
It was Smith’s portrayal of an Edinburgh school teacher in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” that earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as the British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) in 1969. She went on to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for “California Suite” in 1978, (which also saw her win a Golden Globe Award), and additional BAFTAs for her leading role in “A Private Function” in 1984, “A Room with a View” in 1986, and “The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne” in 1988. Smith also received numerous Oscar nominations as a supporting actress for her roles in “Othello,” “Room with a View,” “Travels with My Aunt” and “Gosford Park.” She won a Tony Award in 1990 for Peter Shaffer’s play, “Lettice and Lovage.” That same year, she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire — the equivalent of a knight.
When asked why she took on the role of a wizard professor in the film adaptations of J.K. Rowling‘s hugely popular book series, Smith simply said, “Harry Potter is my pension.”
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