Dame Maggie Smith dies at the age of 89
The legendary British actress Dame Maggie Smith has died aged 89.
Smith, who worked for seven decades in theatre, film and television, passed away peacefully in hospital on Friday 27 September, her family confirmed.
A statement issued by her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said: "It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.
"She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27 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.
"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."
An institution of British film and television, Smith was widely beloved and hugely decorated throughout her 70-year career. She won Academy Awards for Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969, and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite in 1978.
She was also a hugely successful theatre actor, having worked for the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. As well as being nominated on several occasions for the prestigious Laurence Olivier awards, across the Atlantic she won a Tony in 1990 for her role in Lettice and Lovage. It was also this same year that she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II.
Smith received newfound recognition among a younger audience when she took on the role of the formidable Hogwarts professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series. More recently, she starred as the sharp-tongued Violet Crawley in ITV's Downton Abbey. She reprised the role in 2019 for the feature-length film, as well as its sequel in 2022. Last year, Smith starred in a fashion campaign for Loewe.
Like Crawley, Smith had a reputation for not suffering fools gladly. Speaking about her manner, she previously told The Guardian: "It’s gone too far now to take back. If I suddenly came on like Pollyanna, it wouldn’t work — it would frighten people more if I were nice. They’d be paralysed with fear. And wonder what I was up to."
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