After the death of Maggie Smith, known among other things for her roles in the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, at the age of 89, not only the theater and film world paid tribute to her legacy, but even the Prime Minister and the King acknowledged her, with the latter calling her a “national treasure.”
Smith was often regarded as perhaps the most outstanding British actress of her generation, which also included Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench. The Kingdom owes her two Oscars, six Oscar nominations, and a shelf full of acting trophies. She debuted on the big screen in the 1950s, conquered the Oscars in the following decades, and continued to land memorable roles in almost every decade after that. Just think of Hook (1991) or the comedy Sister Act (1992), where she starred alongside Whoopi Goldberg.
The film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), in which she portrayed a dangerously charismatic Edinburgh teacher, won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. A few years later, she won again, taking home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1978 for California Suite. She also achieved major success at the BAFTAs in 1987 with A Room with a View. Smith received Oscar nominations for her supporting roles in Othello, Travels with My Aunt, A Room with a View, and Gosford Park, and she won a BAFTA for her supporting role in Tea with Mussolini.
In 2010, she found enormous success with her role as Violet Crawley in the groundbreaking TV series Downton Abbey, a role that earned her legions of fans and three Emmy Awards, among other accolades. However, she didn’t get caught up in the television fame. When the series ended in 2016, Smith expressed relief. “This is freedom. Until Downton Abbey, I wasn’t well known, or I wasn’t stopped in the street and asked for those dreadful photographs,” she said.
Richard Eyre once commented, “She is intellectually the smartest actress I’ve ever worked with. You’d have to get up very early to outsmart Maggie Smith.” Over her eight-decade-long, diverse, and acclaimed career, both on and off screen, Dame Maggie Smith was known not only for her legendary roles but also for her sharp wit. In the Harry Potter films, she portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall, known for her pointed hat and even more pointed demeanor. Daniel Radcliffe said of her, “She had a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, and could intimidate and charm in the same moment, and as everyone says, she was incredibly funny. I’ll always consider myself unbelievably lucky to have worked with her and to have been around her on set. The word ‘legend’ is overused, but if it applies to anyone in our industry, it applies to her. Thank you, Maggie.” When asked why she took on the role, she humorously remarked, “Harry Potter is my pension.”