Maggie Smith Dies: Oscar-Winning ‘Harry Potter’ & ‘Downton Abbey’ Star Was 89

Veteran British actress Dame Maggie Smith, who starred in the Harry Potter film franchise and hit period drama Downton Abbey, has died. She was 89.

Her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens revealed the Oscar-winner “passed away peacefully” early Friday morning (September 27) in hospital.

“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,” the sons wrote in a statement.

“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. We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

Born on December 28, 1934, in Ilford, Essex, England, Smith was educated at Oxford High School until the age of 16, when she left to study acting at the Oxford Playhouse, where she began her acting career in 1952 playing Viola in Twelfth Night.

DOWNTON ABBEY, Maggie Smith; Nick Briggs / © Carnival Films for Masterpiece/PBS / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Smith continued to act in productions at the Oxford Playhouse throughout the early 1950s before landing her first television role in 1954’s Oxford Accents. She made her Broadway debut in 1956, playing several roles in the review New Faces. From there, Smith would become a renowned stage actress, appearing in lauded productions at The Old Vic and as part of Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre Company.

She made her on-screen film debut in an uncredited role in the 1956 British drama Child in the House. Then, in 1959, she earned her first of 18 BAFTA nominations for her portrayal of Bridget Howard in the film Nowhere to Go. Her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress came for her role as Desdemona in the 1965 film adaptation of Othello.

Her other film credits around that time include Go to Blazes (1962), Jack Clayton’s The Pumpkin Eater (1964), and Young Cassidy (1965), directed by Jack Cardiff and John Ford. She also appeared in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s crime comedy The Honey Pot (1967), Hot Millions (1968) opposite Peter Ustinov, and guest-starred as Music Hall Star in Richard Attenborough‘s musical comedy Oh! What A Lovely War (1969).

Related

Kathryn Crosby Dies: Bing Crosby's Widow & 'Anatomy of a Murder' Star Was 90

Smith won two Academy Awards in the 1970s, the first for playing the title role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and the other for playing an Oscar loser in 1978’s California Suite.

She continued to see success in the 1980s with more classic cinema performances and more awards, including BAFTAS for A Private Function and A Room With A View, the latter also landing her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.

In later years, Smith was best known for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter and Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey. Her final on-screen role came in the 2023 film The Miracle Club.