Dame Maggie Smith has passed away at the age of 89

Dame Maggie was known for her sharp tongue on screen and off during a diverse and acclaimed career that spanned eight decades.

In the Harry Potter films, she played Professor Minerva McGonagall, famous for her pointed witch’s hat and stern manner with the young wizards at Hogwarts.

In hit ITV drama Downton Abbey, Dame Maggie played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, the grand matriarch who excelled at withering one-liners through the show’s six series.

She’s also won two Oscars – for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite in 1979, as well as having had four other nominations, and received seven Bafta awards.

Announcing the news of her death “with great sadness” on Friday 27 September 2024, her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said she “passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning”.

They said: “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.”

Dame Maggie began her career in the 1950s and was nominated for her first Oscar for playing Desdemona opposite Laurence Olivier in Shakespeare’s Othello in 1965.

The actress’s other memorable roles included 1985 Merchant Ivory film A Room With a View, which earned her another Oscar nomination and a Bafta.

She appeared as an English woman living in 1930s Italy in the film Tea with Mussolini, which was released in 1999; and was the firm but fair Reverend Mother in the two Sister Act films.

Some other big name movies she has been in include The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Nanny McPhee Returns and Gnomeo and Juliet (which are some of my favourites).

We bid farewell to an absolute legend in the music industry, as all the people that have crossed her path are always left in awe at her talent, intelligence and demeanor.

Here are a few words that people that got to experience her presence have said:

• King Charles described her as “a national treasure”, while Sir Keir Starmer said she was “beloved by so many for her great talent”.
• Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe fondly remembered her “fierce intellect” and “gloriously sharp tongue”. Paying tribute, Radcliffe said: “She was a fierce intellect, had a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny. I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”
• Miriam Margolyes said she was “the best of the best”, who combined “ferocity, a glint of mischief, delight and tenderness. And enormous courage. I’ve been in awe of her, as all her colleagues are. I saw what a kind person she could be – as well as absolutely terrifying.”
• Hugh Bonneville, who played the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, said: “Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent. “She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances.”
• Sir Paul McCartney recalled meeting Dame Maggie in the 1960s. “Her personality was irreverent and fun loving from the beginning,” he wrote on Instagram. “She was a great person with a wicked sense of humour.”
• Sister Act co-star Whoopi Goldberg called Dame Maggie “a great woman and a brilliant actress”, adding: “I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the ‘one-of-a-kind’.”