Maggie Smith, the legendary, scene-stealing actress who won an Oscar for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969 and captivated new generations as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, passed away on Friday at the age of 89.
Maggie Smith’s sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, announced that she passed away early Friday at a hospital in London.
“She leaves behind two sons and five loving grandchildren, all devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” they shared through publicist Clair Dobbs.
Maggie Smith’s Contributions On and Off Screen
Maggie Smith, widely recognized in recent years for her matriarchal roles in seven Harry Potter films and the ITV-PBS series Downton Abbey, first gained acclaim with a Best Actress Oscar in 1970 for her portrayal of the titular schoolmistress in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite won her Oscars, but this line reading from Downton Abbey made her iconic. RIP to the great Maggie Smith. pic.twitter.com/v33Yxo5NEp
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) September 27, 2024
Nine years later, Smith earned her second Academy Award, this time for Best Supporting Actress in the comedy California Suite (1978), where she played an Oscar-nominated actress journeying from England to attend the awards ceremony.
In addition to these wins, she received four more Oscar nominations: Best Actress for Travels With My Aunt (1972) and Best Supporting Actress for Othello (1965), A Room With a View (1985), and Gosford Park (2001).
Even into her 80s, Maggie Smith’s career thrived, with standout roles as the sharp yet caring Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films and the witty, no-nonsense Dowager Countess Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey.
In essence, she tapped into the core of her characters and brought them to life through her remarkable acting skills.
Smith married actor Robert Stephens in 1967. Following their divorce, she wed writer Beverly Cross in 1976, who passed away in 1998. She is survived by her two sons, actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, as well as her grandchildren.
