Maggie Smith, the prolific British actress known for her roles in the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey television series and films, has died, according to her family. She was 89 years old. In the Harry Potter films, she portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall. On Downton Abbey, she played Violet Grantham. Her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, confirmed Smith’s death in a statement.
“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September,” they confirmed, per The Guardian. “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.”
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In their statement, her sons thanked hospital staff and requested privacy.
“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,” Maggie’s sons continued in the statement, via The Guardian. “We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
Her career lasted for decades.
Maggie had a decades-long career, both in film and on stage. She began acting when she was just a teenager, working on her craft at the Oxford Playhouse School, according to NBC. Her professional acting career began in the 1950s. In addition to acting in theatrical productions, Smith appeared in multiple films and shows, including the Harry Potter films.
Although she once said “when you get into the granny era, you’re lucky to get anything,” according to the Associated Press, she continued to act in her 70s and 80s.
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Maggie was a private person.
As her sons mentioned in their statement, Maggie was very private. In 2017, during an interview with the British Film Institute, she was asked about whether or not she likes seeing herself on-screen.
“No. No, I really don’t,” she said at the time. “And, I might be quite startled! I really don’t. I think it’s because you can’t do anything about it. In the theater, at least, you might say, ‘Oh, I can have another go at it tomorrow night.’ But, it’s forever.”
She also said she “led a perfectly normal life until Downton Abbey.” Prior to that, “nobody knew who the h— I was,” she said at the time.
She won multiple awards during her acting career.
She received numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe awards, and four Emmys. Despite receiving many accolades, she was once at the center of a joke after not being present to accept an award. In 2016, Smith won her fourth Emmy award but was not there to accept it — and it was not the first time it happened.
Host Jimmy Kimmel joked about how Smith had been nominated nine times (and had won four times), but did not actually show up at the awards show. “If we call your name and you are not here to accept, the Emmy goes to the next name on the list. It’s called the Maggie Smith Rule,” he joked at the time.
He continued the joke with, “We’re not mailing this to her. Maggie, if you want this it will be in the lost and found.”
Masterpiece PBS later shared a statement from Maggie on Twitter (now X). “I was very astonished and pleased to win the award,” the statement read. “I feel the Emmys have been overly generous to me. If Mr. Kimmel could please direct me to the lost and found office I will try and be on the next flight. Love, Old Maggie.”
People have started sharing tributes to the prolific actress.
On social media, people began reacting to her death. In a statement shared on X, BAFTA (the British Academy Film Awards) referred to Maggie as “a legend of British stage and screen.” The statement also noted that she won “five BAFTAs as well as a BAFTA Special Award and BAFTA Fellowship during her highly acclaimed career.”
Keir Starmer, prime minister of the United Kingdom, tweeted that “Dame Maggie Smith introduced us to new worlds with the countless stories she acted over her long career.”
“She was beloved by so many for her great talent, becoming a true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. May she rest in peace.”
Her former costars also reacted.
Michelle Dockery, who played Lady Mary Crawley on Downton Abbey, said “there was no one quite like Maggie” in a statement shared with People. “I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family,” the statement continued.
