Raise a Wand for Dame Maggie Smith! Actress Passed Away at Age 89! She will forever be remembered for her roles in Downton Abbey and as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies.
“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in a statement provided to the BBC. “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.”
Maggie Smith became a household name to our generation with her fan-favorite turn as Professor Minerva McGonagall in all 8 Harry Potter films but her career was much more than that. She came to prominence in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969. That movie garnered her her first Oscar for Best Actress in 1970. She would later win Best Supporting Actress for California Suite in 1978. Dame Maggie was also nominated for Othello in 1965, Travels with My Aunt in 1972, A Room with A View in 1985, and Gosford Park in 2001.
Her starring role in Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley, The Dowager Countess of Grantham, was legendary. The character often had the best lines and commanded every scene she was in. Our particular favorite was any scene she shared with Penelope Wilton, who played her foil as Isabelle Crawley. Downton Abbey ran from 2010-2015. The role earned her three Primetime Emmy Awards. In our home, Holly is a huge Downton Abbey fan and this news has hit home.
Maggie Smith was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990. Her career also earned her many other awards such as the BAFTA Fellowship in 1996 and the Society of London Theater Special Award in 2010.
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